What I Watch

Hey, don't worry. I'm here for you. I know what you're thinking. "What shows does Jeremy regularly watch?"

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles This is kind of an odd show. It's surprisingly slow-paced and dark, and willing to take a long time to finish story arcs considering it usually seems to be on the brink of cancellation. It's also oddly one of the most "artistic" shows I watch, as it's willing to tell stories from unusual perspectives, or with intricate layering flashbacks, or with unusually staged and scored scenes. It's an intriguing show, but one I haven't developed a deep affection for. And I'm not an action junkie, but I must admit that a few more massive robot massacres per seasons would help.

The Office I'm not sure if this is as good as it was in the first couple of seasons, but I get enough out of it to stick with it.

Castle Fairly formulaic, but Nathan Fillion as a cocky mystery writer is just too good to pass up.

The Amazing Race My new obsession! (all my sig-other's fault, too) I shun reality shows like the plague, but for some reason seeing these teams go to exotic destinations all over the world to do crazy tasks and try to avoid elimination has got me hooked. Now, if I can scrape up $ 9,900 to go on the Global Scavenger Hunt, I would be all set.

Lost My obsession prior to The Amazing Race. I think at the heart of it, is that I like a really good mystery. Trying to figure out what's up with all those buried stations, the island, the plane crash, etc., is a great way to while away the hours. I especially liked, early in the first season, how simply scary the island was--the black smoke, the appearance of Jack's dead father, the whispering of the Others, the strange brutality of Ethan Rom--all made for a great show. I still really like it, but as I've often said time travel isn't my favorite so Season Five hasn't hooked me as much as previous seasons.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars I really liked the theatrical movie that was released prior to this animated series, so I had high hopes. I've felt pretty disappointed though. I think the main issue has to do with not having characters to care about--we know exactly what happens to Anakin, Obi-Wan, Padme, R2-D2, C-3P0, and even most of the other Jedi and villains who come on screen. This might have been really interesting if it had come on-screen in-between the release of Episode II and Episode III, but as it is it just falls flat. I'm also annoyed with the continuity conflicts between the novels, the annoying smug voice they gave Obi-Wan, and the largely simplistic nature of the stories (IMHO, Dark Horse's original Clone War comics gave a far better and nuanced view of the conflict).

General Hospital I've blogged about this in a previous post. As I said then, I'm surprised at how not-bad it is for a show that has to come up with a new episode five times a week.

Heroes I really don't like this show. I haven't for a long time. I guess I only watch it out of a desire to see things through to the end. After this season, I'll put future seasons on DVD as # 450 or so on my Rogers Video Direct list.

Reaper An entertaining show, but one that can't quite find the right balance between genre drama and comic fluff.

Dollhouse I really look forward to watching this every week, even though I'm not exactly sure why. It certainly lacks the humor and wit of previous Joss Whedon series, but the plotlines are solid and Eliza Dushku is actually better than I expected. I think, like most people, I'm just waiting to see if it gets cancelled before I get too deeply invested.

How I Met Your Mother This has become very "sit-com-y" of late and a bit gimmicky at times.
But hey, I'm a graduate student and have lots of free time.

Fringe I really like the pseudo-scientific, conspiracy backdrop to this show. I could go for it being a little bit darker and a little bit more biting, but then I say that about most fiction.

You're welcome.