Well, like it has been for pretty much the entirety of time, shows which premiered in the US back in September/Octorber are only now starting to air over on this side of the pond. I'm speaking of dear old Blighty. Actually I'm from Ireland, so that's a different kind of story altogher. Anyway, this week heralds the first showings of Chuck and the wonderful Pushing Daisies in the UK. Which meant I finally was able to view them in a manner by legal and high quality.
Chuck was actually one of the few new series airing that I have not seen something of, not even the first episode. With Pushing Daisies, with all the buzz around it I had to see the pilot as soon as possible, and that only led to me following the short first season rabidly. So while I knew that Chuck was a series that seemed to push my buttons in terms of what I like, I somehow decided with myself to stall my interest and wait until I could see it proper.
Also, with the Writer's Strike casting such a shadow over the early part of the season, I hedged my bets that somehow the strike might be a long one and come the days of early spring I would have virtually nothing to watch. So even with the resolution of the strike, I figured since I could wait that long, I could at least wait until now. And I did. So how did I find Chuck? Was it worth the wait?
Well, to be perfectly honest, I was a little disappointed. Somehow watching it made me feel much the same as I did about Reaper. Both had a solid first episode, but it did not leave me with an overwhelming desire to count down the hours until the next episode airs. Indeed, were I never to have bothered to wait I still feel that I would have watched the first episode and just abandoned all interest in the rest. But that said, I'll tune in next week, not because I've nothing better to do, but because where I'm from, Chuck has become a new feature at the proverbial watercooler. That means if I am to continue to amass any kind of standing within the eyes of my peers, I must be able to disect an episode of Chuck with clinical accuracy and seamless wit. Otherwise I might face the loneliness of having to talk those 'older' peers who only discuss the dreaded goings on of soaps or the latest gossip on celebrities you've barely heard of.
Chuch is a fun show, it's made extremely well and the acting is top notch. But maybe I'm expecting to much. Maybe I'm over-geeked on other shows like The Big Bang Theory or The Office. But Chuck is just not igniting with me the way I hoped it would.
On the other hand, the glorious, beautiful and frighfully brilliant Pushing Daisies will change all that. At least I hope it does. See, that particular beauty doesn't start until Saturday, but even then it has the edge by being on one of the bigger networks and a large media buildup. Frankly, if it were not for the fact that Doctor Who just started up for its 4th Series, the biggest TV story would be the start of Pushing Daisies. Which is amazing to think of since a show like this, which admittedly is not for everyones liking, is airing on a national channel not otherwise known for show 'US Imports' or even shows that share a similiar fantasy element to them like Pushing Daisies does.
So, come Monday, or even earlier if the lure of the pub doesn't pull, I fully expect all my peers to be thoroughly entranced by Pushing Daisies. I certainly was when I saw the pilot during the summer. It made me feel like TV had somehow managed to discover a piece of itself it had no idea existed. And no matter how many times I try and actually understand the appeal or meaning of Pushing Daisies, all I end up is with a headache and a broad smile across my face.
I'm really hopefull that Pushing Daisies and Chuck will find an audience outside the usual hordes of cult fans and break into the mainstream. It has been known to happen from time to time, but even if it doesn't I still be happy to follow it anyway.
Well, we're almost at that part of the Television year when show begin to prepare for their final act of the season. Where the writers knuckle down and attempt to pull the biggest and best stories out of the hat. Where actors dig deep into themselves in the hope that somewhere, someone is watching and thinking that is worth an award, or at least a prominent film role. Really, its the last few chapters, and everyone everywhere is demanding they be good.
Of course, the Writer's Strike has been resolved, and all is well in the mysterious world of Hollywood, at least for now. So hopefully fans and viewers are in for a treat now that the shows are back in production and the writer's room is briming with ideas. It would be nice to think that in the long months of the strike the writers minds have not been dulled and have been in fact, heightened and rested.
Often for series, the final few episodes of the season are when things have to come together. Be it for creative reason, financial or simply to secure renewal, they must be of a high calibre than your average episode. Usually there would be more money, a well oiled production team and a sense of build up. However, with many shows either coming back from the strike after months off air, or parked until next season, it's hard to feel where exactly the big shows will appear.
Without a doubt, Lost will be a big one. Few had expected such a renaissance in storytelling that this season has seen. Even the dud episodes have been better than most, and with a finite lifetime the series seems reivigorated. It's easier to know where you're going when you can glimpse the finish line. This season of Lost has not exactly been about answers. More, its been about understanding what questions should be asked in the first place.
With only 5 more episodes expected to be completed rather than 8, this season of Lost will be a few short than even the curtailed 16 episode season promised. Still, those episode simply have to deliver if the series is to continue into its final two years with the same kind of cultural impact and attention it has enjoyed since it first began.
Likewise, genre shows live and die by the final leg of the season. The CW's Supernatural continues to enjoy a healthy audience, even up against the ratings juggernaut of Lost, but it's season long arc appears under threat from the effects of the writer's strike. Indeed, their was some question as to whether the series would return this season and instead continue with the arc in its already confirmed fourth season. But the network has called for more and fans should expect to see a resolution over Dean's soul sometime this May when the show returns with 4 episodes.
It network brother Smallville, also renewed for another season, will return with 6 additional episodes. With a stronger emphasis on the legend and legacy of the Superman mythology this season, not least the introduction of Supergirl, Smallville always looks like it could go on for many more years if it wants.
Freshman show Reaper looks troubled. Although new episodes are forthcoming, no renewal of this cult series has been announced. So fans and viewers will be looking for these episodes to give some sense of resolution should the series end, but also offer a springboard for a possible second season. Reaper may not have met its namesake just yet, so if the writers and staff can give Reaper some strong final episodes it can do nothing but hope the viewers show up.
The big shows such as the various C.S.I's and Law and Orders will return, what effects the strike will have on them will be hard to say, but these shows have rarely had to rely on heavy continuity and big set pieces to attract viewers. That said, C.S.I likes to go out on a strong episode, so they'll be on the what to watch list of many viewers.
So what shows are really on the bubble and with episodes still to air? Well, the acclaimed NBC comedy 30 Rock is still not yet pulling in the numbers it needs to survive. While awards and critical praise are always good for a networks ego, the cold hard cash of advertising is really what they want to see. Likewise, the popular in viewers, but not in numbers series Boston Legal is not out of the woods just yet, with many giving its chances of renewal a 50/50 split. With 6 new episodes expected to be made, the series will be closely watched. Who knows, maybe the network will be enticed by yet another mass cull of the cast. It hasn't really hurt the show so far, so the suits at ABC might just give it another chance.
ER has been one of the longest running shows on air for the past while already, and its future remains a source of some question. While the series has not managed to reach anywhere near the heights of its early years, the show continues to hold a loyal and devoted audience. A strong final 6 might just tip the balance in its favour. Medium has not fully benefited from its mid-season launch and high profile guest stars. Still, 5 more episodes are expected, so the show has it all to prove.
Popular, but still struggling series Men in Trees has a devoted fandom. It's well liked in a number of demographics, but it looks very dodgy. With a number of episodes from before the strike still left in the bag, it has some life left in it. But with a rumoured seperate series finale ready to give some closure and the network has reportedly been shopping it around. It's fellow series October Road looks a dead cert for the scrap heap having never achieved and momentum and nothing but apathy and disgust from the press.
My Name Is Earl will return with around 9 new episodes. After a somewhat uneven season so far that saw Earl in prison, hopefully the series can return to its roots and we'll see more of Earl's ever faithful list. Coupled with the high profile guest star that is Paris Hilton and a storyline involving Alyssa Milano as a love interest, the third season looks to go out on a high. Finger crossed.
Action Adventure series NCIS will return with new episodes. This popular but often overlooked series has somewhat benefited from the departure of showrunner and overall script dictator Donald P Bellisario. Mark Harmon continues to draw a crowd of admirers, and the series affable format proves a winner with most viewers.
Anyway, so those confirmed as saying goodbye or at least are not expected to return include the Big Shots, Bionic Woman, Cane, Jericho, Journeyman, Las Vegas, and Life Is Wild. Some will be mourned, others less so. The fans of Jericho must face either another uphill struggle or outright war against the network. Simple defeat never seems an option with those guys.
So, strap yourself in and prepare for the final act of the season. As the curtain falls on your favourite series, perhaps for this season or for good, just think that come September we'll be talking of the new and hardly glancing back. This season has proved a mixed bag in many ways, but with the Writer's Strike, a glut of high concept new shows, its been interesting to say the least.
Thanksgiving may have been last week, but it only seems now that things are starting to get back to normal for website visitors. Pick a media website like TV.com, Zap2it, The Futon Critic or TV Guide and you would be hard pressed to find new items or articles released in the past week. It seems that whenever there is a national holiday, the internet shuts down as people are away from work and stop becoming producers and start becoming consumers of information. If ever their was any proof required that the US dominates the web, unique national holidays like Thanksgiving will provide ample evidence.
As an international visitor, it's some what strange to visit a site like this one on given day and find it barren of news, and in many cases, visitors. It's like experience the electronic version of a ghost town. Indeed, I'm still amazed that in this supposedly 24/7 global society we live in, all connected via the power of virtual communication, that we still shut down for the weekend.
It's even more bizarre if you live like I do in a small nation. Here in Ireland we are heavily influenced by British media. Most of the population recieves the same television channels, the same magazines and newspapers. So whenever we have a national holiday, its pretty isolated and we can still at least experience the UK and US content on the web. And when the UK has a holiday, often you only realised when the newspapers don't show, or an entire days schedule of BBC One is taken up by flashly one off dramas and movies.
I wonder, just what impact a holiday like Christmas will have next month should the Writer's Strike continue. We'll have little to watch that is new, we won't have anything to discuss on the site, and we won't have much even to look forward to. Although we may just survive on DVD Boxsets and reruns, but it'll be a cold winter if things don't work out.
Right now I'm enjoying some of the Christmas themed episodes airing. Usually I would end up seeing them in April or March, when UK stations started airing them. So it's quite nice to be actually watching these themed episodes while being excited about this time of the year.
I just wish that broadcaster took Christmas more seriously than simply putting on big budget movies. Why not follow the BBC's idea with Doctor Who and do feature length episodes of top drama. I know that commentators will say that viewers don't engage with television at Christmas. But surely it would be worth a try. Why not a feature length Grey's Anatomy, or a action packed episode of Lost. Wouldn't you love to be sitting down with your family on Christmas Day watching you favourite shows with your loved one?
Actually scrap that, they'd probably be fighting over what to watch and you'd miss it altogether. Or they might be pestering you with questions on a show they've never seen before. Thus sucking the joy out of the experience. Oh well, you could always turn to the web. On second thought, maybe not!
