Good times
I need to figure something out. Like, some organized worshiping of preexisting television. You know what I mean? Like, something where I could be like, "Hey, no TV tonight because of the strike...I guess I'll do this fandom-related thing instead." I need a plan.
Quest #1: listing all the shows I really heart, and why.
24
This is literally my favorite drama. Like, I can't even describe how perfect it is for me. It has its own brilliant innovative things that keep it all together, it has deep conflict between characters...maybe more so before season 6...it has perfect ships with indescribable tension--I mean, it sounds soap opera-esque, but it's not. Like, look at Jack and Audrey. They fell in love and her husband resurfaced, which was a pain in the ass, but she was just kind of confused and seeing a new side of Jack. And then Jack is responsible for her husband's death in this totally devastating way. And then he dies (to her knowledge, at least). That sounds ridiculous out of context, but it's SO intense on the show, and it's one of many ships that have something like that going on. I love that side of it, and everything else about it. How fast-paced it is, the pretty explosions and not at all gratuitious violence, the remarkably strong and fascinating characters...dude, it's just 24.
Friends
My favorite show of all time. I watch it when I'm bored, when I'm depressed, when I wake up after a really sketchy dream, and when I go to bed because I love the feeling of falling asleep while I'm watching it. I know I'm a little biased because it was my introduction to television, but I just love it so much. It always drives me nuts that someone else thought of this idea first--a show about friends seems so simple, but it's so warm and snarky at the same time. I love the opposing stereotypes between the characters. Just the idea of having the complete dorky loser, the pathetic sarcastic loser, the complete idiot/bad actor who gets all the women, the obsessively neat/competitive loser, the flaky weird girl who writes the weird songs, and Rachel, who I have no idea how to describe with a personality type. Although I'm pretty sure she's the only slightly normal one. I just love it so much. I love the style of comedy, and I can never get sick of it.
The West Wing
I'm nowhere near as intellectual as any of the things that make up this show, but I love it. It's brilliant and deep and *so* funny sometimes. The great thing about the humorous moments is that they strike you in the same way the brilliance and depth do. It has an amazingly balanced set of characters, played by a cast of equally awesome people. Sorkin is such a genius, I can't even describe it. And this is something that shines through in every episode he's written. He can make *anything* seem profound. When Studio 60 came out I saw this list on Fametracker or something, of fake upcoming Sorkin projects. And I remember thinking that I would watch every one of them. Anyway, this is really hard to describe, but it's a deep but hilarious show about a bunch of fantastic losers who run the country, interspersed with a bunch of idiotic moments, most of which involve Josh (and occasionally someone else) falling.
Brothers & Sisters
Half the reason I watch this show is Sally Field. And I know it seems kind of lame to base it on one thing (not that I do that), but this is a two-time Oscar-winning actress. She's incredibly gifted. To me, the ability to see this gift once a week on television is priceless. Aside from that, it's definitely an awesome show...it has a really developed sense of humor, and the serious moments are so great because there's this strong family feeling behind it. Everything about the show is just so dynamic. It's like it has the perfect balance between single-episode and arc-related moments, the right variety between characters, and the right amount of happy moments. It's dramatic, but in a really bright way, and the characters are essential parts of that.
Battlestar Galactica
My interest in this show was originally because of Mary McDonnell. I liked her, and I swore I wouldn't watch BSG, but I couldn't resist after I heard more about her role in it, and I ended up totally falling in love with it. I know there are a lot of people who don't watch it because of the scifi thing, but it's so deep, it's not even about that. There's all this subject matter that subtly deals with themes of power struggles, etc. The characters are almost painfully human, something I love to see in development as they deal with more and more. The ships are fascinating. I love Adama/Roslin because there was a time where they were so not a ship, but there were about a billion ways to read into every moment between them, because there are just so many layers, and that's one of the things that makes it so intriguing right away.
Will & Grace
This show is so cynical and depressing, and I love it for that. It's about a bunch of losers, basically. For that reason, I think a lot of people can identify with it. Will and Grace have the most pointless lives ever; it's years upon years of dates that result in nothing and the effect that their crazy parents and friends have on them. Jack and Karen are some of the best supporting characters I've ever seen in a sitcom. They're so implausibly ridiculous, it's great. Jack is basically the gay equivalent of Joey but in the least believable sense imaginable, considering it's more than possible for him to have 4 dates in one night. Karen is apparently on every drug ever, and she's just really high. As opposed to, you know, dead. The whole thing is just this perfect mix of tragically normal and outrageous things, and even though I try to avoid watching it sometimes because of how much it depresses me, I still love it.
Sports Night
Back to Sorkin. So I love this show too. Not nearly as much as TWW, but I do love it. It has more humor and less seriousness, but they're perfectly balanced for a sitcom. Having more humor is great because it plays on concepts that were more subtly explored on TWW. For example, Josh's ego is blatant but often infused with drama rather than constant mocking on anyone's part. Dan's ego is totally obvious, but it's usually more central to his side of the plot than Josh's is sometimes. This is definitely true for a lot of similarities between characters. So, yeah, I love it for that reason. The show manages to have the same inspiring moments, but the humor is so vivid, and some of the lines are hilarious.
House
This is so original as a fandom for me because it's the first out of these where I haven't been obsessed with a long-term cast member to get me into it. I loved Sela Ward on the show, and I still consider myself a hardcore House/Stacy shipper, but I decided to buy the DVDs for reasons other than Sela's limited appearances on the show. I love it because it's so unique, and it's dramatic, but there are times when it's not. Considering the lead character drives the plot and character interactions through his bitterness and sarcasm, most of the subject matter is pretty funny--and it's such a distinct, refined kind of humor. I love the drama and the intrigue of the cases, but House's manipulation and sarcastic comments are a backdrop for it, which makes it even more worth it.
Back to You
This is my favorite show of the new season. If you look at the people who make it, you can kind of understand why. The dialogue is hilarious, and there's a fair amount of legitimate laugh out loud lines. The cast is perfect. Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton are perfectly cast, and I don't even feel like I have to explain their contribution. I've loved Ty Burrell since Out of Practice and I love seeing him on TV every week again because he has this awesome natural way of making things funny. I totally fell in love with Laura Marano after just a few episodes, Ayda Field is new to me but so distinctively funny, Fred Willard is always awesome, and Josh Gad had me from the pilot (he's the perfect tragic dork, and I loved him for making something gross totally hilarious).
Scrubs
I don't even know how to put this into words. It's so random...and so amazing for that reason. All the crazy hallucinations, the ridiculous characters...lame JD, vindictive Janitor, Ted (who might be the most tragic person on television, ever). I mean, everyone on it has such a sad life, but that's why it's completely life-owning. They're losers of the highest caliber, and then you have outrageous characters like Todd everywhere to pick up on all the euphemisms and everything like that. Basically, everything about the show--storylines, main characters, supporting characters, etc--is 100% ridonkulous, and for that reason it's so much fun and so carefree and strange to watch. I have memories of trying to sneak in the first act after Friends or whatever was over, and eventually I managed to start watching the whole show...I gave up on it when it switched to Tuesdays because that used to be 24 time and then House, but now it's back to Thursdays and there are reruns on Comedy Central constantly, so I can watch it whenever the hell I want. And I do, believe me.
Alias
I originally watched a few episodes of this to see Patricia Wettig. At first I was like, this is so stupid and random. But after watching enough consecutive episodes, I was hooked. Sometimes it can be a little melodramatic (particularly during season 3, which was the first I had watched), but usually it's in an awesome guilty pleasure way (I totally almost said "quilty pleasure" right there. SO TRUE). I mean, you have the slow motion backwards looks and the face-kicking, jumping in the air fights, as well as the whole Rambaldi thing. Stuff like that. But it doesn't take away from the depth of the show; it just makes it really, really cool. Irina is the perfect example of this. I mean, man, can she shoot a gun. But she's also this brilliantly manipulative person, and her betrayal hits you in the most hardcore way ever. And then there's Sloane. He's this huge evil terrorist, etc, but his relationship with his wife and how he loves her and keeps it from her is totally mind-blowing. He's so evil and yet there's this intrigue and this compulsion to understand him, and when he's distraught or freaking out it's like, whoa. There's this episode where he gets kind of psychotic for a minute, and it is SO SKETCHY but also incredibly fascinating and amazing. And seriously, the face-kicking fights are awesome. I love that they exist.
Quest #1: listing all the shows I really heart, and why.
24
This is literally my favorite drama. Like, I can't even describe how perfect it is for me. It has its own brilliant innovative things that keep it all together, it has deep conflict between characters...maybe more so before season 6...it has perfect ships with indescribable tension--I mean, it sounds soap opera-esque, but it's not. Like, look at Jack and Audrey. They fell in love and her husband resurfaced, which was a pain in the ass, but she was just kind of confused and seeing a new side of Jack. And then Jack is responsible for her husband's death in this totally devastating way. And then he dies (to her knowledge, at least). That sounds ridiculous out of context, but it's SO intense on the show, and it's one of many ships that have something like that going on. I love that side of it, and everything else about it. How fast-paced it is, the pretty explosions and not at all gratuitious violence, the remarkably strong and fascinating characters...dude, it's just 24.
Friends
My favorite show of all time. I watch it when I'm bored, when I'm depressed, when I wake up after a really sketchy dream, and when I go to bed because I love the feeling of falling asleep while I'm watching it. I know I'm a little biased because it was my introduction to television, but I just love it so much. It always drives me nuts that someone else thought of this idea first--a show about friends seems so simple, but it's so warm and snarky at the same time. I love the opposing stereotypes between the characters. Just the idea of having the complete dorky loser, the pathetic sarcastic loser, the complete idiot/bad actor who gets all the women, the obsessively neat/competitive loser, the flaky weird girl who writes the weird songs, and Rachel, who I have no idea how to describe with a personality type. Although I'm pretty sure she's the only slightly normal one. I just love it so much. I love the style of comedy, and I can never get sick of it.
The West Wing
I'm nowhere near as intellectual as any of the things that make up this show, but I love it. It's brilliant and deep and *so* funny sometimes. The great thing about the humorous moments is that they strike you in the same way the brilliance and depth do. It has an amazingly balanced set of characters, played by a cast of equally awesome people. Sorkin is such a genius, I can't even describe it. And this is something that shines through in every episode he's written. He can make *anything* seem profound. When Studio 60 came out I saw this list on Fametracker or something, of fake upcoming Sorkin projects. And I remember thinking that I would watch every one of them. Anyway, this is really hard to describe, but it's a deep but hilarious show about a bunch of fantastic losers who run the country, interspersed with a bunch of idiotic moments, most of which involve Josh (and occasionally someone else) falling.
Brothers & Sisters
Half the reason I watch this show is Sally Field. And I know it seems kind of lame to base it on one thing (not that I do that), but this is a two-time Oscar-winning actress. She's incredibly gifted. To me, the ability to see this gift once a week on television is priceless. Aside from that, it's definitely an awesome show...it has a really developed sense of humor, and the serious moments are so great because there's this strong family feeling behind it. Everything about the show is just so dynamic. It's like it has the perfect balance between single-episode and arc-related moments, the right variety between characters, and the right amount of happy moments. It's dramatic, but in a really bright way, and the characters are essential parts of that.
Battlestar Galactica
My interest in this show was originally because of Mary McDonnell. I liked her, and I swore I wouldn't watch BSG, but I couldn't resist after I heard more about her role in it, and I ended up totally falling in love with it. I know there are a lot of people who don't watch it because of the scifi thing, but it's so deep, it's not even about that. There's all this subject matter that subtly deals with themes of power struggles, etc. The characters are almost painfully human, something I love to see in development as they deal with more and more. The ships are fascinating. I love Adama/Roslin because there was a time where they were so not a ship, but there were about a billion ways to read into every moment between them, because there are just so many layers, and that's one of the things that makes it so intriguing right away.
Will & Grace
This show is so cynical and depressing, and I love it for that. It's about a bunch of losers, basically. For that reason, I think a lot of people can identify with it. Will and Grace have the most pointless lives ever; it's years upon years of dates that result in nothing and the effect that their crazy parents and friends have on them. Jack and Karen are some of the best supporting characters I've ever seen in a sitcom. They're so implausibly ridiculous, it's great. Jack is basically the gay equivalent of Joey but in the least believable sense imaginable, considering it's more than possible for him to have 4 dates in one night. Karen is apparently on every drug ever, and she's just really high. As opposed to, you know, dead. The whole thing is just this perfect mix of tragically normal and outrageous things, and even though I try to avoid watching it sometimes because of how much it depresses me, I still love it.
Sports Night
Back to Sorkin. So I love this show too. Not nearly as much as TWW, but I do love it. It has more humor and less seriousness, but they're perfectly balanced for a sitcom. Having more humor is great because it plays on concepts that were more subtly explored on TWW. For example, Josh's ego is blatant but often infused with drama rather than constant mocking on anyone's part. Dan's ego is totally obvious, but it's usually more central to his side of the plot than Josh's is sometimes. This is definitely true for a lot of similarities between characters. So, yeah, I love it for that reason. The show manages to have the same inspiring moments, but the humor is so vivid, and some of the lines are hilarious.
House
This is so original as a fandom for me because it's the first out of these where I haven't been obsessed with a long-term cast member to get me into it. I loved Sela Ward on the show, and I still consider myself a hardcore House/Stacy shipper, but I decided to buy the DVDs for reasons other than Sela's limited appearances on the show. I love it because it's so unique, and it's dramatic, but there are times when it's not. Considering the lead character drives the plot and character interactions through his bitterness and sarcasm, most of the subject matter is pretty funny--and it's such a distinct, refined kind of humor. I love the drama and the intrigue of the cases, but House's manipulation and sarcastic comments are a backdrop for it, which makes it even more worth it.
Back to You
This is my favorite show of the new season. If you look at the people who make it, you can kind of understand why. The dialogue is hilarious, and there's a fair amount of legitimate laugh out loud lines. The cast is perfect. Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton are perfectly cast, and I don't even feel like I have to explain their contribution. I've loved Ty Burrell since Out of Practice and I love seeing him on TV every week again because he has this awesome natural way of making things funny. I totally fell in love with Laura Marano after just a few episodes, Ayda Field is new to me but so distinctively funny, Fred Willard is always awesome, and Josh Gad had me from the pilot (he's the perfect tragic dork, and I loved him for making something gross totally hilarious).
Scrubs
I don't even know how to put this into words. It's so random...and so amazing for that reason. All the crazy hallucinations, the ridiculous characters...lame JD, vindictive Janitor, Ted (who might be the most tragic person on television, ever). I mean, everyone on it has such a sad life, but that's why it's completely life-owning. They're losers of the highest caliber, and then you have outrageous characters like Todd everywhere to pick up on all the euphemisms and everything like that. Basically, everything about the show--storylines, main characters, supporting characters, etc--is 100% ridonkulous, and for that reason it's so much fun and so carefree and strange to watch. I have memories of trying to sneak in the first act after Friends or whatever was over, and eventually I managed to start watching the whole show...I gave up on it when it switched to Tuesdays because that used to be 24 time and then House, but now it's back to Thursdays and there are reruns on Comedy Central constantly, so I can watch it whenever the hell I want. And I do, believe me.
Alias
I originally watched a few episodes of this to see Patricia Wettig. At first I was like, this is so stupid and random. But after watching enough consecutive episodes, I was hooked. Sometimes it can be a little melodramatic (particularly during season 3, which was the first I had watched), but usually it's in an awesome guilty pleasure way (I totally almost said "quilty pleasure" right there. SO TRUE). I mean, you have the slow motion backwards looks and the face-kicking, jumping in the air fights, as well as the whole Rambaldi thing. Stuff like that. But it doesn't take away from the depth of the show; it just makes it really, really cool. Irina is the perfect example of this. I mean, man, can she shoot a gun. But she's also this brilliantly manipulative person, and her betrayal hits you in the most hardcore way ever. And then there's Sloane. He's this huge evil terrorist, etc, but his relationship with his wife and how he loves her and keeps it from her is totally mind-blowing. He's so evil and yet there's this intrigue and this compulsion to understand him, and when he's distraught or freaking out it's like, whoa. There's this episode where he gets kind of psychotic for a minute, and it is SO SKETCHY but also incredibly fascinating and amazing. And seriously, the face-kicking fights are awesome. I love that they exist.