He Hides Television Eyes

April 5, 2005

With the dearth of any decent movies or shows for the past few months, I’ve been absolutely PLOWING through DVD sets of TV shows. I even signed up for Netflix to go through even more.

Spaced - A goofy little British sitcom about a wannabe comic book artist and a wannabe journalist posing as a couple to live in the one available flat they can find, from the folks that brought you Shaun of the Dead. I was led to believe it was the greatest show ever, if you were a nerd, since it’s just a looooooong string of references to Star Wars and comics and Evil Dead movies, but I found the first season superboring but the second season really funny.

My So-Called Life - I think this was one of the few shows I watched while I was in college, and surprisingly it holds up really well. It’s sweet and touching in the right places, and it’s a lot funnier than I remember. Also, the parents don’t seem nearly as annoying anymore. Maybe it’s because I am now ancient and wizened. Cancelled after 19 episodes, which seems like forever in today’s age of short tempered network execs. The DVD set is completely out of print and selling for hundreds on EBay, so god bless Netflix. Is Jordan Catalano the absolute best character name ever, or what?

Wonderfalls - Speaking of prematurely cancelled, this was dropped after 4 episodes! The DVD set contains thirteen eps, which luckily concludes one strong story arc, so you’re not left wanting. The idea is vaguely Joan of Arcadia, with the main protagonist badgered into helping strangers by talking animal props. It’s a silly premise, but it leads to great screwball comedy as everything goes wrong and hilarity ensues. I laughed, which clearly means the humor is of the sharp and acerbic variety, although there’s enough slapstick in there to tickle my low-brow funnybone as well. How’s that for a mixed-anatomical-metaphor? Getting to watch the whole run, it’s not just good, it’s great.

Northern Exposure (Seasons 1+2) - I really liked this show when I was in high school, for Alaska and snow in general seemed like science-fiction growing up in South Central LA. This really doesn’t hold up nearly as well, with a serious ratio of crap episodes to the good ones. The better episodes, like the one about Chris building his giant metal sculpture and meeting his lost half-brother, still has a little magic, and Adam Arkin’s appearance as wild-man gourmet chef Adam still cracks me up. To add insult to injury, the DVD sets run $40-50 for 8 episodes each.

Deadwood - The dirty, grimy western drama takes a bit of effort to get into, since little happens from episode to episode. David Milch uses the backdrop of this gold rush town to explore human behavior in a virtually lawless environment. The gold, the greed and the gambling are all here, with helpful doses of whoring, doping and murdering… you know, for the kids. The show seems to have taken on cult status for its cussing, and Milch has clearly taken the eloquence of vulgarity to a new level. You will cuss in all new ways after Deadwood.

The Wire (Seasons 1+2) - I always wanted to watch this show, but even with a monthly HBO subscription and the power of TiVo, I found it remarkably hard to get into initially. I would always miss an episode or try and start watching with episode 5 and nothing would make sense. That’s because the makers of the Wire don’t really give a fuck about episodic television. Each season is a 12 hour movie, and they just split in hours because they have to. The day to day grind of the Baltimore drug trade and the story of the cops working the case is just stupendous long term storytelling, and absolutely perfect for watching on DVD.

Homicide - Speaking of the Wire, this is the O.G. Baltimore crime show, and for a long time it was the best thing on television. Seasons one and two have all the elements, but it doesn’t really snap together until they push Daniel Baldwin and Kyle Secor to the pine and let Andre Braugher step up to bat. They toss him in the box with the guest star of the week, and all of a sudden it’s Emmy time! It’s a bit showy, but it’s riveting and magnetic all the same. I’m bullying my way through season three right now, with another three in the queue.

Gah. That’s a lot of TV. My ass hurts just thinking about it. Any suggestions after I finish with Homicide?

Posted in Idiot Box