Reviews Page
My Reboot Page
TV Guide
Special TV Resources
TV History
Internet Movie [TV] Database
Daria
54th Annual Emmy Awards
Television is one of the most demonized media of them all, but I personally think it gets somewhat of a bad rap. Some think of it as the "idiot box," the "boob tube," and a way to spend some empty hours, while poisoning or deadening your mind (especially if you happen to be a child). Nonetheless, television has a lot to offer at a relatively low price (basic cable, for instance, is relatively reasonable given all the channels you receive), as seen by educational programming, sports coverage, news, and various quality television shows. Of course there is a lot of garbage mixed in, but the same applies to all media, and it is our job to weed through it for the good it clearly offers. Furthermore, there is something to be said even for basically brainless entertainment, especially on a limited basis, after another business day of life. Finally, the fact prime time sometimes offers us relatively little overall worth watching is a good thing, since it helps compel us to get off the couch and do other things. This is not to say that television, especially with all the channels out there, meets its full potential. For instance, we have tons of copycat daytime "talk shows" that often have the basic goal of finding new societal rejects under rocks or wherever they find them. News programs, including the recent multiplication of newsmagazines do not offer that much more. Furthermore, even with a wide range of topics and themes to select from, television shows usually cover the same old stuff. This seems to have reached a certain critical mass of late to the point that only a handful of shows are really worth my time (not that valuable, believe me). Finally, some of the best cable stations are not available in my area (Independent Film Channel, for instance), leaving me with poor replacements like Bravo. Bravo has some good movies, which they mutilate by cutting for content and putting in commercials. Nonetheless, TV still has a lot offer, including some good shows that I will highlight below. The highlight of Sunday during the Fall and early Winter is of course football, while the baseball might be on until early November this year. Nonetheless, prime time offers something as well, perhaps the best night in the sense of number of shows worth watching. First off, let me say I do not find "Malcolm in the Middle" that funny. Anyway, King of the Hill (8:30 EST Fox) is often funny in a low key way, as well as having some intelligent story lines, as well as characters we care about. This animated show centers on a slightly off kilter family in West Texas, the dad a propane salesman, the mother a substitute teacher, a heavyset preteen son with a future in comedy with a few other interesting characters rounding out the bunch. "Futurama" and "The Simpsons" (consistently clever) are often amusing, but "King of the Hill" is of special note in my book. Sunday offers a lot in the area of serious news programming, most of which I do not watch, including "60 Minutes" and morning talk shows. On the other hand, Booknotes on CSPAN (8/11 PM) does peak my interest. This hour long book chat is run Brian Lamb (nice low key interviewer), and involves a different author each week, and encompasses a broad range of nonfiction books. A serious and extended conversation is somewhat rare on the television these days, and this one is of special note to book lovers. By the way, CSPAN offers forty eight hours of book discussion over the weekend, interrupted in some areas by public access programming.
"Becker" is not much of a replacement for "The Education of Max Bickford," but the other half of the CBS 8-9 hour is a bit more promising. Bram and Alice concerns a womanizing sleazy professor/writer who meets up with the daughter he never knew. Needing someone to pay the rent, he agrees to have her live with him, and along with them we have various goofy characters such as an ex-priest bartender, an assistant named "Paul Newman," and a lush. The Season Premiere was pretty good ... the chemistry of the leads worked, the writing had promise, and I even laughed a few times ... comedies that make you laugh, not just smile, have something going for it. It has potential to be an amusing way to pass the time before your favorite 9 o'clock show. [I'm being generous, I guess, but it really was no worse than "Becker," which unlike Bram, survived.] Once Monday night had a whole stream of shows on CBS that I enjoyed, which is still the case for many, but no longer for me. My favorite show is only on September to December (with a special game in January, perhaps two given the schedule changes this year), namely Monday Night Football, which I started watching consistently because of Dennis Miller, who did not work out. Well, I guess the typical football fan does not like his esoteric humor, but there had to be a way for him to tone it down, and still offer a humorous perspective. If not, they should have tried a more "working class guy" comedian, since the general concept was a good one. John Madden just does not balance fellow "old guy" Al Michaels, and personally I don't find him a better analyst than Dan Fouts. Fouts might have been a bit low key (boring) at times, but he seemed to know his stuff (appearance is key, since many viewers aren't rocket scientists in this area, even if they think they are). Luckily, Melissa Stark is still around to lighten things up. Yes, she is partly eye candy, but so what? Some youth and eye candy (while still doing her job pretty good) is part of the experience.
Taking away a recent Rams/Tampa Bay game, the games thus far have been a bit subpar in way of excitement. So why watch? Why indeed says many ... ratings are low toward the end of these things. Perhaps, if they had a Dennis Miller replacement, they would stick around ... Al Michaels is a very good play by play man, and Madden does analysis good enough (so far, I actually like Fouts better), but it's kind of boring. The game is key, and I'll stick with a good game, but I'd like more. My favorite part of MNF remains the little comedic bit at the beginning, and the rousing openning music. Daria has ended its run on MTV, after five very good seasons, and did so at a good time ... the characters' development was about completed, it was time to end high school (actually a year too late, given high school is generally four years), and its quality level did not drop yet. Nonetheless, for those who have a satellite dish or access to the Noggin Network [aka "the N"] "Daria" is on daily at 9:30-10:30 (sometimes, slightly different times, check website) among some pretty good original television for teens. An alternative for a ten o'clock game break [or whatever is on now] is the newcomer, Crossing Jordan (NBC 10PM, starring "Law and Order" alumunus Jill Hennessey as a brass medical examiner. Think of her as a sexy "Quincy," and if the first episode is representative of the series, about as annoyingly intrusive and egotistical. Though the tone definitely did not lead me to miss much of the game, Hennessey is an appealing actress (she was my favorite assistant DA on "Law and Order") and the concept of her and her father (Ken Howard) playacting the crime is a good one. Nonetheless, investigating crimes is the job of the police, not crusading MEs. Have yet to watch it again; after all, it was renewed. "Buffy" went to UPN (Tu at 8 ... final season), so one of the remaining gems of the WB have shifted to Tuesday at 8PM. I caught bits of the "all music episode," and it is proof of why it's definitely a quality show. Why must it be on at the same time as the second season of Gilmore Girls? A similiar audience watches this story of a young mom (see top photo) raising her teenager daughter alone in a small town. This show not only has support of a group for family programming; it is not quite as sugary sweet as such a label might suggest. The show is amusing, quirky, and real with various interrelated stories to keep our interest. The sixteen-year-old daughter has a new exclusive school to fit into while dealing with her first boyfriend. The mom is a manager of a small hotel, must deal with her mother forcing her way back into her life (by financial blackmail - the grandparents lent the money for the granddaughter's tuition), raising her daughter, and perhaps finding a guy herself. The show has a nice setting, supporting cast, and light (if still serious) tone. "Ed," the show about a lawyer going home again got most of the press, but while that show annoys me, this one is the true gem in my eyes. My niece (13) also likes it a lot, for whatever that is worth. Time for Rory to be a bit bad, at least once, though. This admittedly sugary component of a still clearly enjoyable show is touched upon here. A couple fan websites worth checking out can be found here and here. The show is partly a fantasy, but many teen moms do over time "make something of themselves," and even more rely on parents for special financial help. Also, many moms and daughters are very close, and a smaller age difference would only help matters. So, the cynicism should be kept to a minimum, ok? JAG aka Judge Advocate General (CBS 8pm) is also shown on USA most weeknights at 7pm, which is where I first saw a few episodes during a holiday marathon. Since the show shares the slot of "Gilmore Girls," one of my favorite television shows, this is a good thing ... though summer is also a great time to catch up on other shows. Shows that you might not seen during the regular season because they clashed with other programs, or did not seem like your cup of tea. This show has been on for a few years, but for one reason or the other, I never got around to watching it (maybe, given the fact it is a law show, it got the bad later seasons of "Law and Order" vibe). It is too bad really, since I liked the show when I sampled it, though one late night episode that I caught (sometimes it fills a late night slot for CBS) was lame. Still, the show covers both prosecution and defense, and has appealling leads (Catherine Bell is a hottie) ... deserves an addition to my list of "shows to check out and/or watch."
Though the scripts have on the whole been a mixed bag, Life with Bonnie and Less Than Perfect on the whole were both amusing and pleasant shows to watch in the 9-10PM time slot. The characters are fun and fan friendly enough that even though the material is suspect (or in the case of Bonnie, comic style over humor often seems to be the very point) at times, the shows are inviting. For some reason, ABC felt a need to cut their seasons short, and replace them with alternative fare not exactly superior. ["Less Than Perfect" did return with some more episodes ... amusing ones at that.] Meanwhile, this gives fans of Watching Ellie to taste its comeback (9:30 on NBC). The the removal of "real time" gimmic might have been no great loss (but why do it? the show would rise or fall on fans liking such quirky bits), but the new laugh track is no great addition either. Blanding out a show is not the way to improve it. Shall see how it goes. [Didn't much care for the sample I saw ... laugh track annoying.] West Wing (9PM NBC) is clearly one of the few examples of appointment television still around. The show gets my political junkies juices bubbling, while also having good acting and story lines. The combination of entertainment with informative (and basically realistic) content is a prime example of what fiction is meant to be all about. This show about the trials and tribulations of the staff of a Democratic president (from the makers of "American President with similar politics) is therefore enjoyable on many levels. Not only does it give us (me at least) a view of a President we only dream about (if in a somewhat one-sided matter), but it does so in a mature but still entertaining way. The belief that people will watch a show with more than its share of political jargon and issue speak is a leap of faith, but it is a good one. An excellent cast led by Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, and others you may have not seen much of (though many guest and supporting roles are played by people you probably will recognize) and great writing helps a lot. The additional of a conservative voice (and more sure to come with a Bush White House) only helped matters. Keep up the good work guys. There is an alternative lead-in to "West Wing," namely "Enterprise," (UPN, 8PM, also Sundays at 6 or wherever they put it near you) a prequel of "Star Trek," starring Scott Bakula of "Quantum Leap" as the captain. The show takes place around 2150 and portrays the first journeys into deep space by humans, including all the rough edges true pioneers have to handle. The thick headed nature of the captain was a bit much (at times, it was not really realistic), but its fun to see how things are in the beginning. The nature of the series will play out over the season, but I hope this series spends time on life in the future a bit more than the standard action emphasis of other "Star Trek" offshoots. There is so much drama in future and alien society that it would be a shame to ignore the potential for interesting (as well as exciting and fun) episodes. A few words on "South Park" (10 PM Comedy Network). First off, I got a tad tired of the show after a while, though it still shows itself as amusing and creative more often than most. Nonetheless, the infantile components of the show do get old after awhile, as old as the idea that such infantile components do not attract younger viewers. I do not quite think this is the end of the world, but please let's be honest about such things. A show that views the world through the eyes of fourth graders might serve a good satirical purpose, but it is sure to attract people not that far off from that age group. As a character might say, those who do not realize this are "a bunch of dumb asses." I must admit though that the stem cell research episode episode was hilarious. Thursday has for years been known for its "Must See" NBC line-up, though it is starting to show its age, especially for those who do not like "Will and Grace." "Friends" had a hit and miss season last year, though I liked the Chandler/Monica match-up, feeling the personalities matched up quite well. The others had little to do, however, and I personally did not like the Ross and Rachel love interests story lines. Rachel/Joey? Eh. The Joey/Ross love triangle with a black woman got some notice because black people are rarely shown on the show, though her color was not really an issue in the plot (as compared to her intelligence), but it wasn't that interesting either. The show will be back, and at times still has good moments, but ... did Monica (or you know who) get plastic surgery? Damn she looks different (and not as good ... actually in a way, all the women look a bit too polished). I have an award for the top "hottie" on the air: the mom on Grounded for Life (now on the WB at 9:30). The daughter is pretty cute too for those teen guys out there. The show [a new episode was aired, but then nothing ... it will eventually be shifted to the WB] itself has promise as a "Malcolm In The Middle" like take on family life, this time concerning two parents who had children while teenagers, and are not quite ready to be adults yet. The leads (the dad was in the indie "The Tao of Steve"), as well as the daughter, are talented, though the scripts do not quite do them justice. The other two kids and the grandfather are a bit trite and annoying, but (especially with the alternatives) this show continues to be worth watching.
The best reason to watch tv at all, aside from sports and so on, is Monk on USA at 10PM. This quirky, if somewhat overrated, detective show stars Tony Shalhoub (best known as the weird cab driver on "Wings," but also as the evil scientist in "Spy Kids," and other roles in which he also talked normally) as an obsessive compulsive detective, solving crimes with the help of his assistant/nurse. You can also watch "CSI Miami" or "Sabrina," etc., but I don't care for such things. Friday TV remains for me somewhat dead, though "Late Night With David Letterman" is usually good, since I like the "CBS Mailbag" segment. "Stargate" on Sci Fi, also is worth a look. Saturday morning cartoons don't seem as fun as in the past, even with quite a few options for those with cable or a dish. This might be just nostalgia on my part, and aside from "The Smurfs" (three apples tall) and "Bugs Bunny," there wasn't that many good things to see fifteen or twenty years ago, but I disgress. The thing to see on Saturday mornings today is Mystery Science Theater 3000, the cult favorite now on SCI-FI (once on Comedy Central). It's sarcastic and scattershot attack of old Grade Z films just cracks me up. As previously noted, Saturday also begins "Book TV" on CSPAN, a channel which provides much informative broadcasting to help us learn how the federal government works, especially coverage of the US Congress and other national government events, like presidential news conferences. Saturday at 7PM brings programming to help us learn about the courts (something Court TV does fairly well as well), in particular the Supreme Court. America and the Courts provides a hour of events on various topics, often speeches by justices or others. Of special note, there is end of the year wrap ups of the Court's business, as well as live coverage from lower federal courts (aside from audio in the Bush v Gore lawsuits, television is barred from the Supreme Court). Some interesting stuff here, especially for someone like I, who is particularly interested in the subject. There are other shows that I might watch throughout the week, but these are most of the highlights. As should be clear, there are some gaps where nothing much to my liking is on, more so than often in the past. Nonetheless, one should be happy for what one gets, even if one sometimes wishes for more. How does not repeat the trite cry that "nothing is on," even after going through all the many channels television has to offer. Well, here's to relaxing, turning on the television, and finding something enjoyable to watch. And hey, if it is somehow rewarding (you might be surprised), consider yourself that much more blessed. Credits: The pic on this page is from the supplied "Gilmore Girls" website (the first link).