TV Series

Some people never go the movie theater any more.They may watch the odd Hollywood blockbuster when it comes out on dvd but otherwise they are content with television programming for their 'moving picture' entertainment.Long gone are the days of "Father Knows Best","Lassie","The Adams Family",Dragnet" or "All In The Family".Contemporary tv fare offers a much greater variety ,including some very violent or very adult shows on the cable networks like HBO.I seldom watch any network tv series because they are all too often very bland and middle of the road.The only remarkable,in fact outstanding ,thing I have ever seen on mainstream tv was "Twin Peaks"(1990-91).This show was so different from what we were used to seeing.It was in a category of its own.It had a great creative team led by David Lynch.We marked the calendar to make sure we wouldn't miss the next episode and we made sure to have a blank VHS tape in the machine to record the week's new episode.We would wear out the tapes with repeated viewings and we spent endless hours around the water coolers at work or in the neighbourhood bar after work debating and analyzing what the latest installment meant;and trying to figure out "WHO KILLED LAURA PALMER?'Those were the days!
Recently some interesting shows have grabbed my attention,but rather than tuneing in at 8 o'clock Wednesday night each week,or setting the tivo to record it for me,I wait untill the end of the season and pick it all up on dvd.This way I can watch it all in a few evenings or go at my own pace and schedule.
"Dexter" is now in it's fourth season.It is a quirky police soap.Dexter is a forensics specialist,a blood spatter analyst,in the Miami Police dept.Dexter's 'hobby' is killing bad guys who have managed to avoid paying for their crimes in the legal justice system.A serial killer of serial killers.This is good stuff but the ethics of the premise will limit the audience."Breaking Bad" has also found a strong fan base.A high school chemistry teacher,diagnosed with cancer,hooks up with a former student and starts cooking up meth.His brother-in-law is a drug enforcement officer.Now in its third season it has won some awards."Lucky Louie" was an HBO sitcom series featuring standout comedian Louie C.K.It's humour is very adult and unfortunately it only ran for two seasons (2006-7) and thirteen episodes.HBO also brought us "Bored To Death" last year.It is about an unlicensed private detective and is very funny but perhaps not as good as "Terriers", a new series about two PI's in San Diego.This buddy detective show is getting rave reviews and has just aired its tenth episode.
"Dollhouse" was a futuristic sci-fi series,involving mind wiping,that ran two seasons ending in Jan. this year.Some friends of mine loved it."Sons of Anarchy",now in its third season,has a dad struggling to balance his home life with a young son and his involvement with a motorcycle gang in a small town in California.Gun running and making porn films are some of the gangs illegal money ventures.This show is also getting rave reviews.
Some of my favorite tv series come out of Great Britain."Wallander",based on the Swedish detective stories,has recently had six ninety minute episodes put out by the BBC.Starring the very talented Kenneth Branaugh,as the title detective,these programs are of very high quality.(As is much of the output of "the beeb')"Doc Martin"is about a London surgeon who moves to a quaint little seaside village in Cornwall.Although we're not sure what he's fleeing from in the big city,his bumbling encounters with the eccentric locals in his new practice make for some very funny viewing."The IT Crowd" is another rollickingly funny Brit series(four seasons) about the two men who make up the IT crew in a large company.They're not in the main offices,but relegated to the basement,and when someone finally finds them to see if they can get their computer problems cleared up,their favorite line is"Have you tried turning it off and on again?"Finally,my favorite comedy show out of England is "Pulling".The first show starts with Donna breaking off her engagement at the last minute and moving in with her friends.Her flatmates,also thirty-somethings are Karen ,who is an alcoholic slut working as a kindergarten teacher,and Donna,a coffee shop server desperate to find a man,any man.This is black humour at its finest.Unfortunately this show only lasted two seasons,thirteen episodes.In Brit slang 'pulling' means going off to the pub and picking someone up after some alcoholic lubrication and some cheesey come-on lines.I hope you can find this two dvd set,but I warn you,you will laugh so hard you will cry,or pee!