PTSD

So she said, "I'm sick. What should I watch?"

What was I supposed to do with an opening like that?

Things on TV right now:

1. Studio 60: It's like eating sugar free cookies. Sure, they're not very good and they leave a bad taste in your mouth, but when there isn't any of the real stuff around, they're better than nothing. Your only Sorkin option is this, so suck it up and whine about it Tuesday morning like the rest of us. Try turning the sound off whenever Danny and Matt aren't in the room.

Mark McKinney is one of the writers. He's making guest appearances. Those are both hopeful things.

2. Numb3rs: Math, physics, boys in tight pants carrying firearms. And banter. Lots and lots of banter. It's the best cop-and-academic-crime-fighting-duo on American television. That's more of a claim than you'd think.

3. Doctor Who: You have your choice of Doctors, your choice of companions, and your choice of "Old Who" or "New Who." Choose wisely, Loyal Reader.

4. BSG: Meh. I still think it's coasting on the merits of previous seasons, but I'm told that any day now it'll be really, really good. Patience is not usually one of my strong points. But CKR is pretty and crazy and maybe some sort of prophet who dresses badly.

5. My Boys: This could have been awful. Hell, it's the first episodes; it could still suck. But for a pilot, I'm pretty pleased. Also, it's a comedy set in Chicago and centering around sports metaphors. In which the tomboy dresses up in a cute top and makes brie, and her friends call her dude and wonder what's wrong. And she doesn't get the guy. I think.

It's possible that I'm a tiny bit biased based on the location. I can admit that. Chicago is pretty.

6. Hardware; The Eleventh Hour: Both starting on BBC America next week; both with good reviews from the Brits. Worth checking out.

Things that may be available through other means:

7. Torchwood: Cheesy plots, shiny sets, pretty bisexual characters, stuff that explodes, all the snark you could ask for, and the website is a fannish treasure chest. John Barrowman is pretty and kills people. Also, aliens. Everything is better with aliens. British.

8. Sling & Arrows: There are no words for how fantastic this is. Shakespearean themes, modernized and then set within a theater festival featuring Shakespeare. Funny, sad, brilliantly acted, and possibly the only show ever that is perfect without any fanfiction fixits. Also, Paul Gross is pretty and he talks to his dead mentor. Canadian.

9. Twitch City: Curtis can't leave his apartment. Nathan goes to jail. Hope is quirky. Newbie is weird, but hot. Jennifer Jason Leigh may be a psycho grad student writing a thesis about people who watch television. The episodes are all references to television and film history. There's a brain transplant, a job wheel, and a hostage situation. Really, I can't do it justice. CKR is pretty and fires a remote control like nobody's business. Canadian.

10. LFN: See #2, only take out the math, physics, and banter. Replace them with emo, angst, martial arts, and a super-seekrit anti-terrorist organization. Make the pants leather. Add pretty girls. Stir. Watch things explode. American/Canadian

11. The West Wing: The reason #1 is so very unsatisfying. American.

12. due South: Oh, please. Para-Mounties, Chicago cops, a deaf half-wolf, and a Russian submarine. In one episode. This is the show against which all other shows are measured. Paul Gross is pretty and he talks to his dead father. CKR is pretty and fires a gun like nobody's business. American/Canadian.

posted by Elizabeth @ 12:29 AM