Currently watching
The Americans is my current favorite television program: if you liked the 2011 remake of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, you'd probably enjoy this show; I think fans of Alias might like it, too. For those who are unfamiliar with it, it takes place in the early 1980s, during the Cold War, and focuses on a cat-and-mouse game between Russian and US intelligence operatives. If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can watch the first season here.
I'm also tuning in to The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and, of course, the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race (I never miss it, although I strongly disagree with last week's elimination, as does the rest of the fanbase). There are many things stacked on the DVR, including The Blacklist, the new Cosmos, Orphan Black, and Ripper Street, as well as a number of movies; I hope to start on Orphan Black today.
That's the positive. As for the negative, I'm very close to dropping Game of Thrones. I wasn't inclined to watch it in the first place given that I detested the book: indeed, A Game of Thrones was the worst novel I read in 2011. However, as you likely know, it's one of the most popular television shows in the world, and so, for the sake of conversancy and water cooler discussion, I capitulated.
While I do think HBO's adaptation has improved upon the books somewhat, the relentlessly brutal violence and sexual content of the story is, shall we say, well suited for the excesses of cable television, and, for me, it gets old. It's also frustrating feeling like I'm not permitted to care about most of the characters because they're likely to be slain for shock value at any minute. The thing about shock value, though, is that if it's too frequent, it becomes ineffective: the viewer becomes inured to it, and that's not entertaining.
I'm also tuning in to The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and, of course, the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race (I never miss it, although I strongly disagree with last week's elimination, as does the rest of the fanbase). There are many things stacked on the DVR, including The Blacklist, the new Cosmos, Orphan Black, and Ripper Street, as well as a number of movies; I hope to start on Orphan Black today.
That's the positive. As for the negative, I'm very close to dropping Game of Thrones. I wasn't inclined to watch it in the first place given that I detested the book: indeed, A Game of Thrones was the worst novel I read in 2011. However, as you likely know, it's one of the most popular television shows in the world, and so, for the sake of conversancy and water cooler discussion, I capitulated.
While I do think HBO's adaptation has improved upon the books somewhat, the relentlessly brutal violence and sexual content of the story is, shall we say, well suited for the excesses of cable television, and, for me, it gets old. It's also frustrating feeling like I'm not permitted to care about most of the characters because they're likely to be slain for shock value at any minute. The thing about shock value, though, is that if it's too frequent, it becomes ineffective: the viewer becomes inured to it, and that's not entertaining.