John's Blog

I've become an unabashed TV junkie with the advent of the new season. Although my goal has been to watch less TV and to blog less frequently, I haven't been successful in either area. My "must see" list currently includes: Boston Legal, L&O, L&O:CI, The Dog Whisperer, Countdown, and The Office. I started out strong with "Eureka" which I found interesting, but I keep forgetting to tune in, so I'll catch up in re-runs or when the DVD is released.

But so far, I've got hooked on the new shows Heroes, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and tonight's The Nine which looks like it will be intriguing. After bailing on "24" after the first season, which I loved, I've been avoiding shows which require "commitment". All of these shows have linear plot-lines which creates another addiction for me to deal with. Just what I needed.

A few more rambling TV thoughts:

Last nights' Boston Legal was a Star Trek nerds' wet dream. An episode that included Kirk (Shatner), Odo (Rene Auberjonois), Quark (Armin Shimerman), and Nelix (Ethan Phillips) PLUS a hot midget... who incidentally wasn't in ST. And as an added bonus we had Herb from Moonlighting who looked nothing like you might have remembered, but the voice gave him away. I guess "Seven of Nine" (who appeared on the show last season) was busy with her new show.

Countdown just isn't the same without Olbermann, who missed the show last night for his Letterman appearance. Adding insult to injury Andy Dick was on first.

Too bad to see the big ratings drop off for Studio 60. Let's hope this catches on, but it's probably too inside and too intelligent for a mass audience.

I keep seeing comments on message boards about Studio 60 complaining that the pretend sketches aren't funny. Duh... it's a dramatic show ABOUT a comedy show. Did "Sports Night" have to show actual sports highlights? Get over it!

While watching "L&O:CI" last night it occurred to me that the "doink doink" was missing. Upon pointing this out to the wife, her reaction was along the lines of "WTF are you talking about?" A quick Google search pointed me to the wave file, which I played over and over. She was NOT amused. She'll be even LESS amused that it is now the sound effect when a new e-mail is received!

I was prepared to hate Heroes, since the hype and formula had turned me off. But after two episodes, this proves to be a satisfying mix of the sci-fi, mystery, drama, and soap genres that looks to be better than I would have expected. Although, it's tough NOT to make comparisons to The X-Men. The interactive graphic novel is a great idea, too bad navigation and page loading sucks.

"Men In Trees"? Wasn't this show called "Northern Exposure" last time around? And "Help Me Help You" I believe was called "Newhart".

I think I've reached the breaking point with my tolerance for reality TV. With The Trumpster firing Carolyn and the show moving to the west coast, there isn't ANY reason for me to care anymore. If you catch me watching anything with the word "celebrity" in the title; please shoot me!

Anybody other than me think that Rita Cosby gives deep raspy voices AND blondes a bad name? I can't find the remote fast enough when she comes on!

Don't get me wrong; I love Jon Stewart and think he's at the top of his game. That being said, can't someone tell him that "The Seat Of Heat" isn't working? Was this something that Craig Kilborn left laying around the office?

Tags: TV, pointless rambling