TV: I'm afraid that's all we know, gentlemen
Day 01 - A show that should never have been cancelled
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of one of your favorite shows
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of one of your favorite TV shows
Day 08 - A show that's had a significant effect on who you are today
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First TV show obsession
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death
Wow, there've been quite a few pleasant surprises in my TV-viewing history. I didn't watch the Battlestar Galactica series until the first-season finale -- seriously, hadn't we already seen this show before? As it turns out, no, we hadn't -- what looked like it could easily be a tired retread became one of the most dynamic and engaging shows on television. Advertising for Sports Night said it was "...about sports. The same way Charlie's Angels was about law enforcement." And that was a show that easily transcended its premise (seriously, go back and watch any -- preferably all -- the clips from the previous post, especially those in comments; there's some seriously excellent TV in there). I was flipping channels one day and happened onto a very interesting monologue from a Billy-Idol-lookalike playing pool, and the next thing I knew, I was hooked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- don't let the title or the premise or any of its trappings fool you; in its prime, this was simply excellent television.
If you're reading this, you really should give each of those shows a good watching, at least give 'em a chance to grow on you. Sports Night hits its peak immediately, but BSG and Buffy take some time to get warmed up. They don't always end as you'd like, but it's all about getting there.
For me, though, the most profound surprise -- and for this I have to thank gloomchen -- is Metalocalypse. (Wary as I am of TVTropes, their summary is pretty spot-on.)
Of the three previously mentioned series, each has a point of failure. If you're not into rapid-fire dialogue, you'll want to pass on Sports Night; if you can't handle any aspect of the supernatural (and possibly demonic), skip Buffy; and if you can't handle grimness -- unrelenting post-apocalyptic grimness -- avoid BSG. (I still think each show is worth the attempt, though.) Metalocalypse has multiple potential deal-breakers: death metal music. Copious amounts of (animated) blood and carnage. Gratuitous nudity and rampant sexuality. Drug and alcohol abuse of the megaSheen variety. Language that -- even hilariously censored -- is unmistakable. But despite (because of?) it all, I can't get enough.
The premise is entertaining enough -- what if the most popular death metal band in the world was 100 times more popular than the Beatles? The world's economy would twitter on its every move. Their fortune would be beyond reproach. Their manager would need to be the most quietly efficient and organized (and deadly) executive imaginable. Add five -- well, four, really -- engaging, distinct and sympathetic personalities. Mix in a prophecy that this band will bring about an "apocalypse of metal" and assemble an international conspiracy led by a mysterious mystical being monitoring and dissecting their every move. And don't forget some seriously ambitious story arcs and a few epic season finales. And you have Metalocalypse.
My favorite episode is the sublimely ridiculous "Dethtroll" -- an attempt to make amends for nearly destroying Finland instead summons a troll which begins rampaging through the countryside, and only Dethklok can stop it. Features "Awaken," my favorite first-season Dethklok song (which would be my alarm sound). At about ten minutes long, it's not a huge time investment, but perhaps more than any other series I'll mention here, I acknowledge -- it is an acquired taste. Me, on first glance, I'd never thought I'd like it, but I can't wait for season four. (And see if, by listening alone, you can tell which voices are Mark Hamill. I couldn't.)
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of one of your favorite shows
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of one of your favorite TV shows
Day 08 - A show that's had a significant effect on who you are today
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First TV show obsession
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death
Wow, there've been quite a few pleasant surprises in my TV-viewing history. I didn't watch the Battlestar Galactica series until the first-season finale -- seriously, hadn't we already seen this show before? As it turns out, no, we hadn't -- what looked like it could easily be a tired retread became one of the most dynamic and engaging shows on television. Advertising for Sports Night said it was "...about sports. The same way Charlie's Angels was about law enforcement." And that was a show that easily transcended its premise (seriously, go back and watch any -- preferably all -- the clips from the previous post, especially those in comments; there's some seriously excellent TV in there). I was flipping channels one day and happened onto a very interesting monologue from a Billy-Idol-lookalike playing pool, and the next thing I knew, I was hooked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- don't let the title or the premise or any of its trappings fool you; in its prime, this was simply excellent television.
If you're reading this, you really should give each of those shows a good watching, at least give 'em a chance to grow on you. Sports Night hits its peak immediately, but BSG and Buffy take some time to get warmed up. They don't always end as you'd like, but it's all about getting there.
For me, though, the most profound surprise -- and for this I have to thank gloomchen -- is Metalocalypse. (Wary as I am of TVTropes, their summary is pretty spot-on.)
Of the three previously mentioned series, each has a point of failure. If you're not into rapid-fire dialogue, you'll want to pass on Sports Night; if you can't handle any aspect of the supernatural (and possibly demonic), skip Buffy; and if you can't handle grimness -- unrelenting post-apocalyptic grimness -- avoid BSG. (I still think each show is worth the attempt, though.) Metalocalypse has multiple potential deal-breakers: death metal music. Copious amounts of (animated) blood and carnage. Gratuitous nudity and rampant sexuality. Drug and alcohol abuse of the megaSheen variety. Language that -- even hilariously censored -- is unmistakable. But despite (because of?) it all, I can't get enough.
The premise is entertaining enough -- what if the most popular death metal band in the world was 100 times more popular than the Beatles? The world's economy would twitter on its every move. Their fortune would be beyond reproach. Their manager would need to be the most quietly efficient and organized (and deadly) executive imaginable. Add five -- well, four, really -- engaging, distinct and sympathetic personalities. Mix in a prophecy that this band will bring about an "apocalypse of metal" and assemble an international conspiracy led by a mysterious mystical being monitoring and dissecting their every move. And don't forget some seriously ambitious story arcs and a few epic season finales. And you have Metalocalypse.
My favorite episode is the sublimely ridiculous "Dethtroll" -- an attempt to make amends for nearly destroying Finland instead summons a troll which begins rampaging through the countryside, and only Dethklok can stop it. Features "Awaken," my favorite first-season Dethklok song (which would be my alarm sound). At about ten minutes long, it's not a huge time investment, but perhaps more than any other series I'll mention here, I acknowledge -- it is an acquired taste. Me, on first glance, I'd never thought I'd like it, but I can't wait for season four. (And see if, by listening alone, you can tell which voices are Mark Hamill. I couldn't.)