Television and hype

If you spend an amount of time browsing the actively populated areas of the internet, you're probably aware that there are several television shows with a large following behind them, and with that following, hype. Lots of it.

These shows being Game of Thrones (HBO), Breaking Bad (AMC, ended), The Walking Dead (AMC), and to a lesser extent, Mad Men (also AMC). It's no secret that I watch a lot of television - over 120 shows - but of those four, I only watch one and a half. "How can there be a half?" I actively watch Mad Men (am in the process of catching up again), and I watched Breaking Bad up to and including Season 4 Episode 7 before I finally threw in the towel. I'm sure I'll finish it eventually, but it never really won me over.

That's my issue - it never won me over. I'd heard people praising it like it was the best thing ever to grace television screens, that it's the equivalent to sliced bread and the second coming rolled into one. The Wikipedia page says it's "widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time". To me, it simply wasn't. It was slow paced and empty, but not in a good way. When things happened, they felt like they were just trying to ramp up the pace for the sake of it, and when nothing happened, it felt more like a bottle episode than a deep focus on the characters (see S3E10, 'Fly'). As bitter a pill as it may be to swallow, Walter White is an asshole. He started off noble (perhaps too much so) and with good intentions, but he broke bad far too soon and then roller coastered around that level. The characters in the show are just... extremes of humans in a way. I'm sure there are people in the world like that, but for them to all be in the same circle? Anyway, I'm getting distracted. The point is, it didn't live up to the hype I heard.

Mad Men is another matter. I find Don Draper's mentality fascinating, the look into the not-so-distant past equally fascinating, and all the characters very deep. Incidentally, the hype there was a few years ago for Mad Men seems to have died down, and now the only hype I see about it is from dedicated fans - not posers jumping on a bandwagon.

Maybe I'm just jaded, maybe it's all just a social construct. Perhaps people watch these hyped up shows because their friends go on about them, so they watch them and then, to avoid being different, rave about how awesome it is and all views snowball out of proportion. This could be why I 'bear' Mad Men, because the only other people talking about it are other people who actually care about it.

I am not a hipster. I don't get annoyed at certain shows because they become popular, I'm just irked when hordes flock to mediocre programming and hidden gems die because of a lack of viewers.

My issue with Netflix Originals

As the internet is well aware, Season 2 of House of Cards was released today. As with the past season, it was released all at once. While this is a modern, unconventional rock-the-boat strategy, I dislike it, and don't think it's wise.

With conventional broadcast TV, episodes are released one by one, week after week, in a scheduled timeslot, unless they're preempted by happenings. Either way, the day after airing, people discuss the episode, and most importantly, memory and current activity of a show can last up to half a year. With something like House of Cards, you could watch all thirteen episodes one by one at a self-chosen time and pace yourself, but with all the content already available, why wait? Especially when others will have just "binge watched" (a term I dislike because it's the sort of term old media would come up with to try and sound relevant) it all in a day. Now their minds are loaded with spoilers that, if they are a decent human, they won't share. Once you've caught up and are ready to discuss it, it's no longer fresh in their mind. What's more, House of Cards isn't likely to cross their mind until a few weeks before Season 3 is released, when the hype and 'news' starts surging.

When a broadcast TV show is off the air for a while, even just a  mid-season break, it doesn't exactly aid the popularity of the show - more casual viewers will forget about it when it returns. When a show is 'on' for one day a year and then the wait commences again, memories will forget.

Other than the broken social 'watercooler' aspect of House of Cards, where a typical conversation is merely:

"Do you watch House of Cards?"

"Yes. It's awesome, right?"

"Totally"

"Good talk"

missing any intricacies or plot details for fear of spoiling it, as far as I can see, this strategy does work for Netflix, as it's a subscription based service that people tend to visit on a whim when they've got nothing else to do, and dipping in and out at your own pace  works a lot better when you aren't then waiting for the next episode to become available. However, I hope that traditional media companies don't try this model, as it will not work.

So, Californication is ending

When I heard that Californication had been renewed for a 7th season when the 6th season had barely started airing, I was elated. Today, on hearing that the 7th season will be the last, I'm... not 'distraught', but disappointed. I can only hope that it ends on a high.

When it was announced that Weeds was going to have its final season, the show had already got out of hand in a crazy manner, and the final episode was bizarre to say the least. Californication started going down the same route when it too messed with time and skipped forward. I enjoyed Weeds, but it didn't end particularly well, leaving a slightly bitter memory rather than the memory of the earlier, better, seasons. Californication has already turned away some viewers with a fair few mildly unrealistic twists and turns, so I can only hope that in the seventh and final season each episode is valued by the writers, and that Hank returns to the career vein of the earlier seasons rather than that of the fifth and sixth seasons. Here's hoping...

The new fall TV shows of 2013 that I'm watching

The standard spate of new TV shows hit a few months ago, so I'm going to detail what I'm watching, enjoying, disliking, and looking forward to. Click the show titles go to their trakt pages, which each have links for their IMDB, TVDB, and Wikipedia pages. These are just my opinions, not facts, so make of it what you will. After all, the blog is titled "my thoughts" - that's all it is.

Back in the Game

• What's it about? A single mother coaching Little League baseball, her son, and her father.
• Where? ABC
• Alive? Cancelled, but they're running the original episode order (of 10)

Putting the future of Psych at risk because of Maggie Lawson's new commitment in this, at least we can hope Psych is standing on stronger ground after the cancellation of BitG. Also starring James Caan of Thief fame. It's not bad, but it's not good. I'm a fan of baseball and Lawson, so was drawn to this show but I've been disappointed with the sport being sidelined, episode plots being standalone, and the unbelievably annoying teammates of Lawson's character's son.

• Did I want it to continue? Not particularly. It was a harmless show, I'm apathetic about it.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

• What's it about? Agent Coulson's team of operatives traversing the globe in a rather large VTOL jet.
• Where? ABC
• Alive? Yes, 22 episode 1st season order

I've watched all the Avengers universe films apart from two Thor films, so I mostly understand all the allusions and references. Other than the pilot and retaining the EP credit, Joss Whedon seems to have mostly handed the helm to his brother Jed.

• Do I want it to continue? What with the Marvel affiliation I doubt it'll get cancelled, but it desperately needs more engaging plots. I'm apathetic towards it so far.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

• What's it about? A dramedy set in a police precinct.
• Where? FOX
• Alive? Yes, 22 episode 1st season order

I almost missed that this was on and I'm glad I spotted. Andy Samberg of SNL and Lonely Island fame plays a detective at Brooklyn's 99th precinct (as the title alludes). This is one of the shows I look forward to on a  weekly basis - you get to know the characters quickly and their antics provide that type of humor that really appeals to me.

• Do I want it to continue? I hope this gets renewed for at the very least a 2nd season - it doesn't look like it costs too much to produce but it's funny and engaging.

Almost Human

• What's it about? A cop duo in the future.
• Where? FOX
• Alive? Yes, but no commitment beyond 6 episodes as still fresh

My most anticipated new sci-fi show, I was frustrated when it got pushed back. After Michael Ealy's role on the criminally short-lived Common Law, I wanted to see him back on TV in more than just guest roles and Almost Human delivers, despite the rather ambiguous (yet meaningful) title. I enjoyed Karl Urban in the two Star Trek films, so anticipated this futuristic buddy-cop drama to be nothing other than a winning combination - and for the most part, it is. Episodes start with a recap of what was established in the first episode, in an unfortunately underwhelming and clichéd manner. The actual show on the other hand, delivers. The chemistry is good, the writers have created enough sub-plot elements to last a while and develop key characters, and Ford seems to be the only car manufacturer in the future. Flippancy aside, if you want to watch a procedural cop drama set in the year 2048 with plenty of possible future expansion, this show is for you.

• Do I want it to continue? Again, I hope this gets renewed. However, it likely costs a lot more than Brooklyn Nine Nine to produce, but hopefully FOX will see it as financially viable enough to renew.

The Michael J. Fox Show

• What's it about? A news reporter and his family.
• Where? NBC
• Alive? Yes

One of the many new sitcoms. It feels awkward to watch and with such a large family unit, they haven't quite got the same winning character focus balance as Modern Family has, in that each episode seems to be split into equal amounts of plot focus on each character with the closing moral message recap trope. I doubt it'll get cancelled though, as anyone who would axe it will be vilified by the press.

• Do I want it to continue? I wouldn't mind if this got cancelled, as it isn't really making any dent, it just exists.

Ground Floor

• What's it about? A guy from the top floor sleeps with a girl from the ground floor - that's pretty much the whole plot.
• Where? TBS
• Alive? Yes, 10 episode series order

Unbelievably unfunny. There's not really much to comment on as it makes such little impact. Canned laughter and no redeemable characters.

• Do I want it to continue? If this lives past ten episodes, there's clearly a glitch in the matrix.

Trophy Wife

• What's it about? An extended family created from two divorces.
• Where? ABC
• Alive? Yes, 22 episode 1st season order

By far my favorite new sitcom. The better of the two new shows to feature West Wing alumni. The change in cast for the daughter after the pilot shook up her character a bit, but after a total of 8 episodes so far I think it's settled back down.

• Do I want it to continue? I want to see this show become the next Modern Family. It's not quite as smart, but I look forward to each and every episode.

Mom

• What's it about? A single mother, her daughter, her son, and her mother.
• Where? CBS
• Alive? Yes, 22 episode 1st season order

Absolutely dire. I gave it a shot as I liked Allison Janney in The West Wing and Primary Colors, but even she can't save this show.  I laugh at most three times per episode. Where the Michael J. Fox show is awkward to watch, this is simply painful to watch. CBS probably gave it a shot because of Chuck Lorre's previous success with The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men, but this just exemplifies that not everything someone creates will be good.

• Do I want it to continue? A waste of the airwaves, especially considering CBS cancelled such gems as Vegas last year.

Welcome to the Family

• What's it about? Two families colliding.
• Where? NBC
• Alive? Cancelled after the first 3 episodes

It wasn't particularly impactful, but worse shows have been allowed to continue for it, so I feel sorry for the cast and crew.

• Did I want it to continue? Would've been nice to see more.

The Millers

• What's it about? A news reporter and his family. Gosh, that sounds familiar...
• Where? CBS
• Alive? Yes, 22 episode 1st season order

I'm not a particular fan of Arrested Development, but I liked 30 Rock so I gave Will Arnett's new show a go. He, Jayma Mays, and J.B. Smoove are good, Margo Martindale was great in a drama like Justified (which I highly recommend) but doesn't suit a sitcom, and I've never found Beau Bridges suited to comedies, just irritating. If the laughter is canned, and it very much sounds like it is, I wish they'd remove it. In some shows, the canned laughter covers up how dire a show is. In shows like this, which are moderately funny in their own right, the canned laughter makes me regret laughing when I do - not a good thing.

• Do I want it to continue? It has scope for improvement, but they'd better polish it quickly.

We Are Men

• What's it about? Four single men.
• Where? CBS
• Alive? Cancelled after just two episodes

I've not watched much of Monk but I appreciate that Tony Shalhoub is a decent actor, I've seen all the Harold and Kumar movies to be able to recognize the talent of Kal Penn, and recognized Jerry O'Connell from Jerry Maguire. The show had potential, but two episodes weren't enough to gather a balanced impression. CBS on the other hand, decided that the ratings for the two episodes were sufficient enough to warrant a swift canceling.

• Did I want it to continue? I didn't mind it, but two episodes wasn't enough for an good enough impression.

So, those are the new shows that I'm watching, but what am I looking forward to? Killer Women and Chicago PD. Why? Mainly because I like some of the cast members from their previous roles - hopefully then they'll be Trophy Wife style good rather than Mom style disappointing.