The television season is now several weeks old, but I hadn’t caught up with enough new shows to make recommendations. Now, I have, and we have some winners!!! They are:
- Rome – It’s different, and aside from the sex, it’s not your typical HBO Sunday night. It’s political, familial, and conniving. Like other HBO shows, there really are no heroes, which is fine with me. Heroes always disappoint, while villains are at least entertaining. The acting is top notch, and it doesn’t really feel like I thought it would. It’s done for Antiquity what Deadwood did for the Old West – it’s put the life back in the statues, and isn’t afraid to treat the legends like real people. It’s definitely worth checking out, especially for Ray Stevenson’s portrayal of Titus Pullo, fatally flawed, goofy and vicious. He’s the antihero that all other antiheros aspire to be. And, lucky you, HBO is re-running the first 8 episodes this week.
- Threshold – I had low expectations for this show, and I’m not sure how far they can stretch the premise, but so far so good. This is sci-fi bubblegum, with just enough creep factor to keep me coming back. It’s a little like The 4400 but with some Andromeda Strain and X-Files thrown in. Good stuff, and the cast is great fun. It’s great to see Charles S. Dutton on TV again.
- Invasion – Kind of slow, and sometimes the acting isn’t great, but this one is interesting enough to put make TiVo keep recording it each week. The cast is pretty stock ensemble with very few recognizable names (unlike Threshold which screams indie movie fan as casting director). It is nice to see William Fichtner, but he’s really the only cast member I recognize from anything. If you like LOST but think it moves too fast, then Invasion may be for you.
- Extras – It’s by the guy who did The Office. If you like your comedy extremely painful, you’ll love this show.
- One Night Stand – It’s back!!! YAY!!!! I frigging love this show. A new comedian every week, and it’s only 30 minutes. Had a bad day? Watch Flight Of The Conchords and all your troubles are gone.\
It’s not really a “new” show, but this season’s Amazing Race is so much better than I thought it would be. I was afraid they wouldn’t do anything with the families, and they haven’t left the country yet (crossing my fingers for this week), but it’s a lot of fun. It’s a good mix of in-laws, siblings, parents, teenagers, and kids… and they’re all a mess in some ways. It’s guilty, but it’s too much fun not to watch.\
Set your TiVo’s now. You’ve been warned.
Comments
4 responses to “New Television To Watch And Enjoy”
I have to agree with you about Rome. I love it. I stacked up a bunch of episodes and had a little Rome marathon while the fam was travelling. (I definately know what gift I *don’t* want for Christmas this year…) Now I’m jonesing for another week…I saw that it was picked up for another season. Any idea how many eps we have this year?
Kev,
What about _My Name is Earl_? Annie and I think it’s hilarious.
I really liked *My Name Is Earl*, but it’s on opposite two other shows we tivo, so I’ve only been able to catch a couple episodes on the Bravo repeats. It was going to be my honorable mention, but I forgot.
I love Pullo! He is my favorite character in this series. Especially after he took Octavian to the brothel for his first experience 🙂 Pullo negotiating with the Madam was some of the funniest stuff I have seen.