Two TV series to recommend...
...And they are very different from one another indeed.
1. Wonderfalls. Kudos to raethe for prodding me into renting this one. (This doesn't mean you all get to prod me into renting stuff. raethe is an old friend and thus has special privileges.) This show recently aired on Fox and was cancelled (unfairly!) after one season. However, one season still gets you some 11 or 12 hours of stuff to watch, so it's worth renting. It's surreal, in a "Northern Exposure" sort of way, but also wickedly funny--all the actors are superb and hilarious. The central character, Jaye (Caroline Dhavernas), is so snarky, and such a slacker, you could really end up hating her if Dhavernas didn't play her with such sparkle and charm. Also, my husband tells me she's way cute. Which is OK, since there are at least two way-cute guys in the series too. Devotees of intelligent, quirky comedy should check it out. Go!
2. Battlestar Galactica, recent miniseries version. (Season 1. I hear they're now working on Season 2...?) No way did I expect to like this so much. I never watched the original series, so I figured I'd be lost on all the plot points. But not at all: they present a fascinating, moving, easy to follow, and super-cool story about the end of the world at the hands of computers, and the scattered groups of spaceship-inhabiting humans who have to band together and either fight or flee. Had some of the same chilling factor as the better apocalypse movies (say, moments of Independence Day or Deep Impact), as well as lots of spiffy technology tricks. Looking at the reviews on Amazon, I note that some people hated this--often fans of the original series, upon which I can't comment--so your mileage may vary. But I really enjoyed it and look forward to more, if they are indeed making more.
Both are available on Netflix, for converts to the little red-and-white envelope.
1. Wonderfalls. Kudos to raethe for prodding me into renting this one. (This doesn't mean you all get to prod me into renting stuff. raethe is an old friend and thus has special privileges.) This show recently aired on Fox and was cancelled (unfairly!) after one season. However, one season still gets you some 11 or 12 hours of stuff to watch, so it's worth renting. It's surreal, in a "Northern Exposure" sort of way, but also wickedly funny--all the actors are superb and hilarious. The central character, Jaye (Caroline Dhavernas), is so snarky, and such a slacker, you could really end up hating her if Dhavernas didn't play her with such sparkle and charm. Also, my husband tells me she's way cute. Which is OK, since there are at least two way-cute guys in the series too. Devotees of intelligent, quirky comedy should check it out. Go!
2. Battlestar Galactica, recent miniseries version. (Season 1. I hear they're now working on Season 2...?) No way did I expect to like this so much. I never watched the original series, so I figured I'd be lost on all the plot points. But not at all: they present a fascinating, moving, easy to follow, and super-cool story about the end of the world at the hands of computers, and the scattered groups of spaceship-inhabiting humans who have to band together and either fight or flee. Had some of the same chilling factor as the better apocalypse movies (say, moments of Independence Day or Deep Impact), as well as lots of spiffy technology tricks. Looking at the reviews on Amazon, I note that some people hated this--often fans of the original series, upon which I can't comment--so your mileage may vary. But I really enjoyed it and look forward to more, if they are indeed making more.
Both are available on Netflix, for converts to the little red-and-white envelope.