Sunday, October 23, 2011

What Am I Watching?

I've had so many people ask me what I'm watching this season, and I keep thinking I'll just wait and do a series of blog posts once the season is underway (I'm giving shows 4 or 5 episodes this time around before giving up). But lately, it looks like that blog post might never come. So I'll just put a list here, and something quick, and hope I don't forget anything. What's on my PVR...?

The New Girl: I love Zoe Deschanel. In anything. So of course I was going to tune into this. I've only seen the first couple of episodes, but it's really cute, and she's really cute. So far, it's a keeper (though a friend at work was saying she finds her gorgeousness so distracting that she finds she's staring at her eyes, her hair, her dresses, and realizing she has no idea what just happened in the scene. Ditto).

Person of Interest: Obvs. Still not sure if I'm continuing.

Fringe: Obvs again. I blogged on the first, and then got bogged down in life after that so I haven't had a chance to, but that second episode -- the one where they went over to the other side with the professor who was a serial killer in the alt-world -- was STUNNING. Best episode in a very long time. And the two that followed were really great as well. Anna Torv continues to be a marvel, and John Noble... well, seriously, what can I say? He's marvellous.

Walking Dead: Again with the obvs.

Dexter: This season is uber-creepy, although it's going in an odd religious direction, and I'm still not quite sure where it's going, but I like the tension between Deb and Laguerta, and the intrigue of what's up with Matsuka's intern, and watching Adama berating Tom Hanks' son. It's Dexter; of course I'm there.

Boardwalk Empire: I might soon give up on network television and just switch to anything by AMC, HBO, or Showtime. Because these shows are just leagues above everything else.

Homeland: As I mentioned on my Facebook page a day or two ago, AMAZING. Claire Danes is extraordinary, and the series is gripping from beginning to end each week. Highly, highly recommended.

The Big Bang Theory: Of course. Still love.

Modern Family: Of course. Still love.

Community: Of COURSE. Still adore.

The Office: I just watched the season opener and it was pretty funny, so I really need to catch up on this.

Doctor Who: Just finished S5 and I really need to blog on it soon. On to S6. I'll soon be caught up with all of you, imagine that!!

Terra Nova: This is one that's been building up on the PVR for a few weeks and my husband and I FINALLY sat down to watch it a few days ago, and were pleasantly surprised by it. I showed my 4-year-old son the scene with the little girl feeding the brachiosaurus and I thought his head would explode with glee. Sometimes the SFX are awesome, sometimes they're abysmal, but I've been drawn in and I'm eager to see where it goes.

Breaking Bad: OMFG. But you already knew that.

Ringer: First episode had some of the worst special effects I've seen since 1983. Seriously, that boat scene? I was laughing and laughing (and my poor husband, usually the pessimist of the two of us, kept saying, "Nah, I think it's just the lighting is off?" "No, dear, they are IN A TUB. Seriously, a TUB. That is no more an ocean than the TUB I bathed the kids in earlier tonight.") Second episode a little more intriguing. Haven't watched past that, and honestly, I think I'm only holding on for Sarah Michelle Gellar. But we'll see if it's any better.

The Secret Circle: I watched the first 7 or 8 episodes of The Vampire Diaries and it just didn't do it for me. Everyone at work tells me I was woefully wrong on that one, so I'm giving it another go (and I keep getting stalled but I will persevere...) So I thought I'd check out LJ Smith's other series. I found the first episode to be a little derivative (oh look, one kid lives with Grandma; there's a harbour, they're in high school and have shitty teachers... it's Dawson's Creek with witches!) but the adults intrigued me a lot. Second episode was downhill, and I haven't been able to watch the third. I dunno. Maybe the LJ Smith/Kevin Williamson combo just isn't working for me. Or maybe it's just Williamson; I never did like DC. (Yes, you can throw things at me now.)

The Vampire Diaries: See above.

Up All Night: OK, I lied above when I said I was giving everything 4 or 5 episodes. This one was okay, but never made me laugh out loud. I lasted a couple of episodes and that was it.

The Soup: Might be the best show on television right now. I'm consistently in stitches every time I watch it.

Upcoming:
Once Upon a Time: I have it on good authority that this show rocks. And I'm a sucker for fairy tales of any kind.
Grimm: Oh look, another fairytale show! I'm THERE. I might blog on one or both of these. (Grimm begins next Sunday here in Canada.)

One I've missed and have already given up on ever catching:
Revenge: Friends at work tell me it's stellar. I really should have watched this one.

Now, am I really watching this much TV? Well, not really. I've seen the first episode or two of each of these and my PVR is JAMMED right now. I had the entire series of Torchwood on there and deleted ALL of it, just to make room for all of this other stuff. In fact, there may be even more shows I'm forgetting about, and I really need to cut back. So much for my idea that I was going to cut way back on my TV viewing this year and read more. I really need to just cancel the cable and stick to my word. But then... what would I blog about?!

21 comments:

SenexMacdonald said...

@Nikki - do you need to borrow my Torchwood DVDs then?

The Question Mark said...

That's a big list, Nikki! LoL

Mine is considerably smaller this year:
FRINGE: Off to a good start, especially that serial killer episode. Can't wait for the ball to get rolling on this one. And it was nice to finally see Blair Brown again this week!

COMMUNITY: Kick-ass, yet again. These guys are geniuses of the highest order.

PERSON OF INTEREST: Getting better and better as it goes along. Really want to like this show, so I hope it grows into a powerful series.

RINGER: It has potential, but it's "meh" so far. I love the fact that I can see Buffy, Mr. Fantastic, and Richard Alpert in the same show! All they need to do is lose the lame soap opera side-plots and those awful pointless 15-second music cues.

TERRA NOVA: I really like this, more than I thought I would. It has that Spielberg heart to it. The characters are likeable, even Stephen Lang's, and the whole concept is just great all-around.

ONCE UPON A TIME: Loved the pilot! There's so much potential the writers could literally have themselves covered for the next three or four seasons if they wanted to. Can't wait to see where this goes.

TWO & A HALF MEN: I'm warming up to Ashton Kutcher's character. He plays well against Jon Cryer, and I hope the show can be saved.

HAWAII FIVE-0: I didn't watch any of Season 1, but now that Locke's in it, I'm tuning in :P

Looking forward to Grimm, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, and Alcatraz, too!

Annie said...

I was hoping you'd do a list like this soon!

I have a pretty long list of shows, but only half are shows I watch intently (i.e. am not answering emails, on facebook, cleaning the house, etc at the same time). My DVR is pretty backlogged at this point, there are only a couple shows I'm diligent about watching each week.

Homeland is the new show that I'm most excited about, I'm totally hooked!

I'm still on the fence about Person of Interest. It has one more week to impress me before Bones returns and then I have a DVR conflict. I might abandon it and then catch up this summer if it's picked up for a 2nd season

Once Upon a Time- haven't actually watched it yet, but I'm sure it'll be on the top of my 'must watch list'!

Page48 said...

-"Terra Nova"
-occasionally H50 (only for "Alias" and "Lost" nostalgia purposes)
-"Ringer" (for now, solely out of Buffy fandom, cuz it doesn't rock)
-POI (for now)
-"Nikita"
-"Fringe"
-"The Walking Dead"
-"Burn Notice"
-"Covert Affairs" (better than "Undercovers", but not fit to carry Jack Bristow's jock strap)
-"Once Upon a Time" (till I form an opinion, though I'd much rather be watching Robert Carlyle in S3 of SGU)
-"Homeland" - very good
-"Chuck" - the Nerd Herd's last stand
-will squeeze in "Touch", "Alcatraz", "Grimm" and "Merlin" later in the season and "Missing" whenever it arrives

Thank goodness for my lifetime moratorium on sitcoms.

Christina B said...

My list--

-Fringe
-The Walking Dead
-Once Upon A Time (LOVED the pilot!!)
-Grimm
-New Girl
-The Big Bang Theory
-Community (just started watching this season)
-House
-Ringer
-Person of Interest (Might drop this)
-Supernatural
-Bedlam (Another I might drop)
-Dexter
-The Secret Circle (Yet another might drop)
-Castle
-Grey's Anatomy
-Bones (soon)
-A Gifted Man
-Terra Nova
-Eureka

No, I really don't have a life. Why do you ask? ;)

Christina B said...

Oh, and I forgot to mention that in my free time, I'm also catching up on X-Files and Breaking bad!
(I'm on season 2 of both) ;)

Colleen/redeem147 said...

I have to admit, The Nanny was a guilty pleasure for me, so I'm watching Happily Divorced. It's based on Fran's real life - a woman who is happily married has her husband come out to her after eighteen years. Her ex is co-producing with her.

I got through about twenty minutes of Once Upon a Time - that witch queen is just toooo annoying.

Quarks said...

Here's my TV viewing for the next few months (probably).

Shows which I've just finished watching:
-Warehouse 13: I finished watching Season 3 last week, which ended with one of the best season finales I've ever seen.
-Eureka: One of my favourite shows at the moment, especially since Felicia Day joined the cast.
-Doctor Who: I loved Season 6; it was probably my favourite season so far.

Shows I'm currently watching:
-Fringe: This season has been fantastic so far, especially the serial killer episode and the most recent one. I can't wait to see where it's going to go.
-Merlin: This seems to be shaping up to be one of the best seasons of this show yet, I just hope it can keep it up.
-Alphas: I quite enjoyed the pilot episode, which is all I've seen so far, and I'll probably keep going with it.

I'm also currently watching 'Smallville' for the first time on DVD at the moment, which I am enjoying although doesn't compare to some other shows I've seen.

New shows I intend to watch when (if) they come to the UK:
-Person Of Interest: This is largely due to Michael Emerson's role in it, but the premise seems quite interesting to me as well.
-Alcatraz: This is probably the show I am most looking forward to, and I can't wait to have Jorge Garcia back on TV.
-Awake: This looks like it will be quite interesting, although I worry that it might not make it to the UK .
-Grimm: I am looking forward to this more than 'Once Upon A Time' and I hope that it's as good as it seems like it could be.
-Once Upon A Time (maybe): I might watch this show, although I am not really sure what it is about other than fairy tales. It's probably one I'll have to watch the first few to decide whether or not to stick with it.
-The Finder: I will watch this largely because it's a 'Bones' spin-off and I love 'Bones'.
-Touch (maybe): Another show I'll probably have to decide nearer the
time whether to watch it or not.

Returning shows I am going to watch (which seem to be mostly procedurals):
-Bones
-Hawaii Five-0
-CSI: NY
-The Mentalist
-White Collar
-Leverage
-NCIS
-NCIS: Los Angeles

Anonymous said...

@Nikki, how do you like Matt Smith???

Ok...here's the long of it:

How I Met Your Mother: Just caught back up after stopping 2 seasons ago.

Castle

Hawaii Five-0

GLEE: Watching on occasion.

Ringer: Hoping it goes somewhere. Way too serious all the time.

New Girl

Raising Hope: Too stupid and funny not to watch.

Parenthood: Cry at least once every week. Favorite drama!

The Middle

Modern Family: I love Cam.

Revenge: Guilty pleasure.

Luther (BBC America): Adore this show. Easy to catch up on on Netflix.

Project Runway: Judging very poor this year.

Big Bang Theory: *heart*

Community: Remedial Chaos Theory was the best half hour on TV in a long time.

Parks and Recreation: Adore Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson.

The Office: Miss Michael, but I'm still in.

Person of Interest: Barely hanging on.
Bones: CANNOT WAIT!!!

A Gifted Man: He looks great with his shirt off.

Fringe: PETER!

Free Agents (BBC AMERICA): This show was canceled in the US with Hank Azaria, but UK shows are much wittier and crass. Plus, Anthony Head!!!

Once Upon a Time: Still haven't seen pilot...went out to dinner last night. Will watch tonight with my daughter.

Desperate Housewives: UGH. What can I say to defend myself...it's the last season and I've been there from the start.

Dexter
The Walking Dead

Homeland: Favorite new show of the season.

Shows in hiatus:
Weeds: It needs to end soon.

Breaking Bad

The Big C: Incredible season finale.

Doctor Who: Adore Matt Smith

Mad Men

Downton Abby

Merlin: More Anthony Head!!!

Mid Season starts:
Cougar Town: Guilty fun.

Alcatraz: Hope it's as good as the buzz.

30 Rock: Liz Lemon is my hero.

Shows I've given up on:
Pan Am
Up All Night
2 Broke Girls
2 1/2 Men

It's a scary long list...my husband thinks I'm ridiculous.

Lisa(until further notice) said...

BTY...That's me up above, posted as Anonymous. OOPS>

Page48 said...

Some folks are throwing in shows that have already run their course for the year so, to my list, I'll add

-"Warehouse 13" (still a Christmas special to come)
-"Torchwood: Miracle Day" (it was no COE)
-"Fairly Legal" (cuz it stars Will Tippen's gorgeous, but too young for him plus he was still crushing on Sydney so he had to dump her, girlfriend)
-The Doctor and Amy Pond and days that never came and the bluest blue ever (still a Christmas special to come)
-"Game of Thrones"
-"Outcasts" - RIP

I think that's it.

Lisa(until further notice) said...

Page48...what's that RIP about Outcasts??? I love that show. Please tell me it's coming back.

Page48 said...

Lisa, sorry!

oldrunner262 said...

Loved Once Upon a Time. Did you see the LOST references? One scene opened on the eye of Emma. And the mayor of the town (aka Bad Queen) lives in house number 108. I expect there will be many more LOST references.

The Question Mark said...

@ OLDRUNNER 262: Another cool LOSt reference wa sthat the clock tower in Storybrooke was stuck on 8:15 :P

Lisa(until further notice) said...

Thanks, Page48. Totally bummed about that. It was on at the same time as Falling Skies here, and I liked it so much better. It really ended with an unsolved cliffhanger. I so wanted Julien to get his. Oh well. Ugh.

JavaChick said...

Vampire Diaries I like. Secret Circle not so much.

Page48 said...

Lisa, yes, "Falling Skies", I watched that one, too. God, I watch a lot of TV.

I thought "Outcasts" deserved a better fate as well. I've seen much worse carry on for far longer.

LT McDi said...

what am I "streaming"...since I got rid of my TV a while ago

Fringe - I think so far these have been some of the better episodes

Revenge - I began this show against my better judgement but I'm actually enjoying this ride

Once - not up there with LOST's pilot but close. Really liked it.
Definately going to keep up with it. And oh close up of eye..how I've missed you.

Ringer - not enjoying..sorry Sarah.. so I've ditched it.

Person of Interest - interesting but slipping from "must watch" to I'll catch it later.

Terra Nova - meaning to catch it after liking the pilot but so far all I've seen is the pilot.

Hawaii Five 0 - enjoying it too but mostly because of the Hawaii part.

Gillian Whitfield said...

My list consists of:

CASTLE: Perfectly consistent each week with enough humour and drama to keep it fresh (that, and Nathan Fillion is AMAZING).

ONCE UPON A TIME: Not only is an awesome House alum in this, I LOVE the story. I'm all for fantasy.

PERSON OF INTEREST: I'm slowly continuing to warm up to this series. It's getting better slowly but surely.

THE BIG BANG THEORY: Love, love, love this show.

HOUSE: I was a bit wary about the new characters at first, but I'm warming up to the new fellows, and I can't wait to see how the old fellows will interact with the new.

MODERN FAMILY: I'm new to Modern Family this season, but I'm loving it so far.

And of course,

HEARTLAND: I am a huge fan of this CBC show. It's hard to explain what is good about this show.

Dave said...

Am I the only one that finds Big Bang Theory's writing lazy, meaning consistently drawing on cliches and stereotypes?

I enjoyed the premise initially. Sheldon was funny and the Sam and Diane thing with Leonard and Penny was cute. But they have moved away from those things being central to the show and just keep throwing out typical sitcom tropes.

Community, on the other hand, does geeky while swinging for the fences and turning stereotypes on their heads.