I watch 24 in a way I don't watch other shows. I'm never going to think it's a great show so my expectations are simply that it be entertaining. For it to be entertaining, it needs to keep the show moving, limit filler, and avoid unbearable storylines. In that sense, season seven was an undeniable success in my eyes.
Most 24 seasons feel basically the same to me. So I'm curious at what makes the seasons that I didn't like (2 and 6; and to a lesser extent, season 3) different from the ones I did like (every other season). I think the answer lies in the show simply having as few clear space-filling plotlines as possible and when they do have a clear space-filling plotline, keep it short and entertaining. I hated season 2 because literally every Kim scene was completely pointless, which meant 24 episodes of clear space-filling plots. Season 3 was simply repetitive. I was bored of the show by the end. And Season 6 was terrible in every way as clearly all the writers just forgot how to make the show any good.
Season 7 doesn't fall trap to this. Sure, you have a few plots that clearly are there just to fill space, which is really all of the presidential stuff. More specifically though, I didn't really care if Henry Taylor found his son's killer. But it was short and entertaining at times. I didn't care about Olivia wanting John Hodges dead and later on, whether she was caught. Actually that kind of sucked, but it was still only a plot for about five episodes. (Sprague Grayden, who plays Olivia, is actually quite terrible in this season. I don't remember her being bad in Sons of Anarchy, but she is awful here. And I was kind of excited to see her in this!)
Now, this season is different because it actually analyzes Jack's actions and looks at torture. Now granted, the show ultimately ended up pro-torture most of the time, mostly because 24 is a television drama which presents hypothetical situations that don't happen in real life. And because everyone he tortures is definitely guilty and never gives him false info. (Last point on this: Torture is ineffective and obviously inhumane)
Anyway, Jack has never looked like more of an asshole than he does here and it actually seems like the writers did this on purpose. It actually gives weight to the things he's done, which the show usually brushes off as nothing. It culminates in the final scene where Jack confesses to Muhtadi Gohar about the things he has done. He knows he's not a good person. (which he isn't - I'm sorry you can't be a good person with the things he's done, for the good of the country or not)
Interestingly enough, the mirror of Jack is Tony Almeida, whose motives are more bent on revenge than Jack, but ultimately similar. He goes undercover to kill the man responsible for killing Michelle and many more people for years. He does despicable things. He does it for revenge. But in his mind he had rationalized it as things he needed to do for justice. How does that sound different than Jack? Jack is just on the edge of being a bad guy, something Tony has crossed, but it's really easy to imagine Jack following him sometime.
Lastly, his protege of sorts, Renee Walker - previously a cop who followed the rules - ends up following in his footsteps. Obviously, she didn't completely fall victim to Jack Bauer, but she did need a push. She was willing to get his advice even though that probably was a bad idea (you know in real world logic, not Jack Bauer is a superhero 24 logic). By the end of the season, 24 ended on a surprisingly dour note as she clearly intends to torture Will Patton's character. (He doesn't get much screentime, but he's so effectively smarmy that you it's hard to blame her)
Then there's Senator Blaine Mayer, played by the awesome Kurtwood Smith. Initially presented as a person just out to get Bauer, he turns out to be extremely sincere in his intentions. He and Bauer reach an argument to do this right and... he gets killed. That was one of the darkest moments of the show. In hindsight, I should have expected it because Bauer going through files and legally catching the bad guys just isn't that interesting. (It could be in theory in the right hands, but the writers definitely aren't good enough for that to work at all). However, it surprised the hell out of me and devastated me.
So while this season went through the usual beats (nothing really original was written except for the torture conversation), the Jack Bauer and Tony stories REALLY worked. The presidential stuff didn't at all. President Allison Taylor basically exists to be dumbfounded and to get expositional info thrown at her (and the audience). But I have a higher tolerance for this when it is new characters. Season 8 could be rough. As awesome as President Palmer was, I was bored by his predictable character by Season 3. Allison Taylor isn't really a character yet, much as Cherry Jones tries. (She's like a less interesting President Palmer who doesn't know anything)
Other Notes
- I think this is Kiefer Sutherland's most impressive season, acting-wise. His scene at the end of the season in the hospital when he breaks down crying saying "You don't the things that I've done" is extremely impressive acting.
- How could I forget Bill Buchanan, who has an appropriately patriotic death, and never did sacrifice his values, refusing to torture someone when Jack wanted him to do it
Grade - B+
Showing posts with label 24. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 24. Show all posts
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Rewind: 24 S6
Before I watched this season, a vast - VAST - majority of lists listed Season 6 as the worst season of 24. Some had Season 7, some had Season 8, but Season 6 was far and away as near of a consensus as possible the worst season the show had to offer. Too many of these lists preceded this post with "Even the worst season of 24 is good." Because no this season is awful. This is borderline unwatchable. It took me months to watch this season. Every time I was faced with the prospect of watching another episode, it was a struggle to watch.
24 is a weird show and I've probably said this in my other posts on it and will probably say it in future posts as well. It's good for weird reasons basically, reasons that aren't usually at all sustainable over multiple seasons. Is it well-acted? Well not really. Are the characters well-fleshed out? Again, not really. Is it well-plotted? Well, the more you think about it, usually the less sense it makes. Is it well-written? Eh no the dialogue isn't really a strong selling point here either. Well what the fuck makes this a good show? Excitement, twists, Jack Bauer, and good acting from key supporting characters. (I kind of cheated and said it wasn't well-acted, but sometimes it is like George Mason or Charles Logan. Generally speaking though, I don't think it's a reason to watch the show)
Now, excitement and twists are two things that tend to get less rewarding the longer you have a show, especially if you don't have interesting characters. 24 HAD interesting characters. They killed a lot of them off though. Wayne Palmer isn't one. Nadia Yassir isn't one. Milo Pressman isn't one. Neither is Sandra Palmer (do you have remember her?). Bless 24's soul, but how in the hell do you have James Cromwell and Regina King and make both of their characters absolute nothings. James Cromwell, as Jack's father, should have been great. Hell, Cromwell as Jack's evil father should have been a piece of cake. It's James freaking Cromwell. How did they mess that up so badly? Judging from the fact that King is a starring character and showed up in 9 episodes, they clearly had no idea what to do with her.
Then they kill off Curtis Manning in the stupidest way possible. Manning was an underrated character. I don't know how Roger Cross did it, because I can't imagine anything was on the page for him to work with, but I was invested in Curtis Manning. Then, all of a sudden, he becomes so unprofessional that he forces Jack to kill him. Congratulations on being extremely unsubtle about the difficulties with working with someone you hate, 24. (That's unfair; 24 has never been subtle)
I'm going to be honest here. There are many high points in this season that I can point to where I can say I enjoyed it. This was just an absolute trainwreck of a season. Powers Boothe is decent as Vice President Noah Daniels, but like his weirdly obsessive desire to go to war makes no sense. And I am tired of so many characters on this show going against the president for the good of the country. And that happens this entire season. I don't mean go up against in the sense of verbally, I mean like try to take him out.
Anyway, I'll keep watching, because from what I've read, Season 7 is a lot better. Yes, some say it is worse than Season 6, but a lot of other people claim it's a change of pace and that it's better than any of the last three seasons (which granted, so far is like being one of the best Big Bang Theory episodes). In any case, these lists have been generally trustworthy, outside of their inability to prepare me for just how truly bad this season is, and season seven and season eight both seem to have good and redeemable qualities and are far from hard to watch.
Grade - D
24 is a weird show and I've probably said this in my other posts on it and will probably say it in future posts as well. It's good for weird reasons basically, reasons that aren't usually at all sustainable over multiple seasons. Is it well-acted? Well not really. Are the characters well-fleshed out? Again, not really. Is it well-plotted? Well, the more you think about it, usually the less sense it makes. Is it well-written? Eh no the dialogue isn't really a strong selling point here either. Well what the fuck makes this a good show? Excitement, twists, Jack Bauer, and good acting from key supporting characters. (I kind of cheated and said it wasn't well-acted, but sometimes it is like George Mason or Charles Logan. Generally speaking though, I don't think it's a reason to watch the show)
Now, excitement and twists are two things that tend to get less rewarding the longer you have a show, especially if you don't have interesting characters. 24 HAD interesting characters. They killed a lot of them off though. Wayne Palmer isn't one. Nadia Yassir isn't one. Milo Pressman isn't one. Neither is Sandra Palmer (do you have remember her?). Bless 24's soul, but how in the hell do you have James Cromwell and Regina King and make both of their characters absolute nothings. James Cromwell, as Jack's father, should have been great. Hell, Cromwell as Jack's evil father should have been a piece of cake. It's James freaking Cromwell. How did they mess that up so badly? Judging from the fact that King is a starring character and showed up in 9 episodes, they clearly had no idea what to do with her.
Then they kill off Curtis Manning in the stupidest way possible. Manning was an underrated character. I don't know how Roger Cross did it, because I can't imagine anything was on the page for him to work with, but I was invested in Curtis Manning. Then, all of a sudden, he becomes so unprofessional that he forces Jack to kill him. Congratulations on being extremely unsubtle about the difficulties with working with someone you hate, 24. (That's unfair; 24 has never been subtle)
I'm going to be honest here. There are many high points in this season that I can point to where I can say I enjoyed it. This was just an absolute trainwreck of a season. Powers Boothe is decent as Vice President Noah Daniels, but like his weirdly obsessive desire to go to war makes no sense. And I am tired of so many characters on this show going against the president for the good of the country. And that happens this entire season. I don't mean go up against in the sense of verbally, I mean like try to take him out.
Anyway, I'll keep watching, because from what I've read, Season 7 is a lot better. Yes, some say it is worse than Season 6, but a lot of other people claim it's a change of pace and that it's better than any of the last three seasons (which granted, so far is like being one of the best Big Bang Theory episodes). In any case, these lists have been generally trustworthy, outside of their inability to prepare me for just how truly bad this season is, and season seven and season eight both seem to have good and redeemable qualities and are far from hard to watch.
Grade - D
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Rewind: 24 S5
A typical response to a complaint about any TV show is that "you're looking too much into this. Just sit back and enjoy it." Usually, I think that's a bunch of bullshit. That's usually code for "I have no actual legitimate counterpoint to your complaints, but I like this show so you should too." If you thinking about a show destroys that show, the show probably isn't that good.
On the other hand, that's absolutely the case with 24. Thinking about the show doesn't destroy the show, but it makes it less fun. 24 has really one purpose: pack as much action and edge-of-your seat moments as possible into 24 hours of television. The trick is to somehow manage that while creating a competent story that doesn't fall apart, making sure there are characters you would hate to see die, and making sure the "personal" moments don't feel cheap.
The fifth season has two things that the rest of the seasons I've seen don't have: a story that is mostly plausible within the confines of what 24 has defined as plausible every step of the way and zero awful plotlines. Somehow, none of the episodes feel like stalling for time. And there's definitely no "Kim getting attacked by a cougar" in this season.
This season has probably the best acting of any season. 24 has never been a show with particularly great acting. That changes this season. The standout of the season is Gregory Itzin, playing Charles Logan. I'm not sure anybody else could play a president who could seem so much like a weasel one minute and terrifying the next. He also plays desperate beggar so well it's almost painful to watch.
Kim Raver is also terrific as Audrey Raines. If I'm being honest, Mary Lynn Rajskub has never impressed me as an actress even if I like her character, but she definitely nails the scene where she watches Edgar Stiles die. Similarly, Louis Lombardo makes us care about a character who is basically just exposition throughout his screentime.
The fifth season could also be called: "Who's guest starring in this episode?" Because seemingly all the supporting characters get played by either good or recognizable actors. Sean Astin, Peter Weller, Connie Britton (who is severely underused), Kate Mara, C. Thomas Howell (Ponyboy), Henry Ian Cusick (AKA Desmond from Lost), Ray Wise (whose name might not ring a bell, but the guy is in everything), and Mark Sheppard. Good guest stars help elevate the writing, which is somewhat necessary in a show like 24 which is not too great at developing characters.
If there's one glaring thing that left me with a bad taste, it's that early Charles Logan and later Charles Logan don't quite make logical sense. I can't think of a conceivable reason that Logan and Cummings aren't both in on the plan. Logan's shock at Cummings' plans - and if I re-watched maybe Mike Novick was in the room whenever this was happening - doesn't make sense to me. Why doesn't Cummings know Logan's in on the plan? Either way, it's a small thing and it doesn't really matter to me anyway since I was already spoiled on Logan being a traitor.
Every list that I've search has the fifth season as the greatest season of 24. To be honest, not all that much is different from other seasons. It still relies on some of the same narrative tricks (detrimental family member leading to downfall, villain somehow escapes to further the plot of the show TWICE, etc.) and it's attempts at making us care about the characters' personal lives remain futile. The personal lives almost completely depend upon the actor so thank god that Itzin and Jean Smart are so good in their roles or the presidential marriage would have been a drag.
But this just goes to show what tight plotting, good acting, and constant action can do for a season. There's no repetitive storyline, no plot point seems irrelevant or annoying, and each episode seems important. Also, the show was willing to kill off major characters. They've killed off President Palmer, Michelle Dressler, Edgar Stiles, and Tony Almeida but not really. (I'm already spoiled that he comes back.) So I have to agree with every list on the internet that the fifth season is the best.
Grade - A
Playlist
1. "Sober" - Childish Gambino
2. "10538 Overture" - Electric Light Orchestra
3. "Autumn Sweater" - Yo La Tengo
4. "Feel Right" - Mark Ronson feat. Mystikal
5. "Green Fields" - The Brothers Four
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Rewind: 24 S4
Going into the fourth season, 24 was coming off a serviceably good season that nonetheless was suffering from repetitive storylines and increasingly stale characters. The showrunners smartly decided to change up 24 - not too much, but enough to make it feel fresh. Beginning the season, there was no President Palmer, Jack Bauer was working as a bodyguard for a senator, and CTU was comprised of completely unknowns.
More than any other season thus far, 24 is insanely ridiculous and absurd. The attempts to delve into the personal lives of the characters have never felt more perfunctory and fruitless. The terrorists' preparation and planning for one day is laughably improbable, made worse when each attempt fails and the show tries to play it off like that was the plan. And yet, somehow some way, it works.
The fourth season of 24 is my favorite since the first season*, because while I may not care about most of the characters, it delivers on the one thing expected most of it: exhilarating, action-packed television. The season starts with a train crashing off the rails - and with convincing special effects - and ends with Jack Bauer faking his own death and walking off into thesunset sunrise. In between, the show delivered a remarkable amount of action scenes and Jack Bauer steamrolling through his enemies with the ease and skill we've come to love about this series.
*The first season thus far is my favorite, which seems to be an unpopular opinion. I have an easy explanation: Kim drags down the second season by herself on what is an the otherwise good season, and the third season really seems repetitive. There's too much of a "been there done that" feel, which this season most certainly avoids even as it employs the same tricks.
The fourth season got better as the season went along, probably in some part due to Erin Driscoll and her daughter. Driscoll was the show's biggest misstep in an otherwise good season. She starts the season by making what are clearly portrayed as wrong choices and we find out she fired Jack Bauer. Making matters worse is the actress playing her, Alberta Watson has a stilted performance and unconvincing emotional scenes. She's also involved in the unquestioned worst plot point of the season, her increasingly unstable daughter who eventually commits suicide. When Driscoll was replaced by Michelle, the season got better.
This season introduces a hell of a lot of new characters. CTU is virtually unrecognizable with Chloe O'Brien as the only familiar face. None of the new CTU characters immediately stand out and it takes a while to register them as actual characters and not simply as plot devices. Some of them improve with time, such as Edgar Stiles and Curtis Manning. Some of them never improve, such as Driscoll and Sarah Gavin.
However, the most compelling new characters were Senator James Heller and Audrey Raines. This is hardly a surprise as they were both brought back for the reincarnation of this show in 24: Live Another Day. Both characters immediately stand out due to the performances of William Devane and Kim Raver. Devane, most well-known for Knots Landing, outshines everybody when he's on screen, which makes it disappointing when he disappears halfway through the season. Raver pretty much has to play upset and devastated the entire time, which she does so ably. While it did get a bit tiresome, a lesser actress would have made her character unbearable. Thankfully, she's sympathetic and relatable.
One of the things that bothers me most about this season though is how much it relies on torture. The senator even agrees that it's a good thing to torture his own kid! One way or the other, it's hard to tell whether the writers agree that torture is necessary, but it certainly seems like it. Considering that there's proof torture is ineffective not to mention inhumane, I just find a problem with how often the show resorts to torture and it works nearly every time. I really wish one time, the agents were good enough at their job to get information out of a suspect by good old-fashioned interrogation techniques. I don't know if it would be that successful if only because dialogue is easily the weakest part of this show, but it would be a refreshing change of pace.
The show takes a stab at analyzing whether torture is right or wrong, but it seems to argue it's justifiable. The government tortured terrorists for months after 9/11 to mixed results. This show's form of torture? Oh, just like break their hand and then they'll immediately give up everything despite being deeply committed to the cause. It may help if the characters ever tortured the wrong person. I mean sure the senator's son was the wrong person technically, but they made him such a piece of a shit, it was hard to sympathize and he WAS holding something from the government. I mostly just wish the writers weren't like "How to we get from Point A to Point B? Oh let's just use torture on a suspect and he'll lead us there." Seriously, torture is used way too often in this season. I don't remember it being as big of an issue for the first three seasons.
24 is a show that I go back-and-forth with on its quality. On the one hand, when it works it really fucking works. The tension is palpable, the characters seem genuinely at risk, and you can't take your eyes off the screen. On the other hand, this show has some of the most ridiculous technobabble nonsense dialogue I've ever heard, overuses torture of all things, and has so many episodes that just seem like stalling for time.
The end result though is an almost always entertaining show. The show is willing to take risks, which means it can deliver on the threats the story presents. The fourth season is one of the better seasons the show has had thus far and probably one of the best seasons of the entire series.
Grade - B+
More than any other season thus far, 24 is insanely ridiculous and absurd. The attempts to delve into the personal lives of the characters have never felt more perfunctory and fruitless. The terrorists' preparation and planning for one day is laughably improbable, made worse when each attempt fails and the show tries to play it off like that was the plan. And yet, somehow some way, it works.
The fourth season of 24 is my favorite since the first season*, because while I may not care about most of the characters, it delivers on the one thing expected most of it: exhilarating, action-packed television. The season starts with a train crashing off the rails - and with convincing special effects - and ends with Jack Bauer faking his own death and walking off into the
*The first season thus far is my favorite, which seems to be an unpopular opinion. I have an easy explanation: Kim drags down the second season by herself on what is an the otherwise good season, and the third season really seems repetitive. There's too much of a "been there done that" feel, which this season most certainly avoids even as it employs the same tricks.
The fourth season got better as the season went along, probably in some part due to Erin Driscoll and her daughter. Driscoll was the show's biggest misstep in an otherwise good season. She starts the season by making what are clearly portrayed as wrong choices and we find out she fired Jack Bauer. Making matters worse is the actress playing her, Alberta Watson has a stilted performance and unconvincing emotional scenes. She's also involved in the unquestioned worst plot point of the season, her increasingly unstable daughter who eventually commits suicide. When Driscoll was replaced by Michelle, the season got better.
This season introduces a hell of a lot of new characters. CTU is virtually unrecognizable with Chloe O'Brien as the only familiar face. None of the new CTU characters immediately stand out and it takes a while to register them as actual characters and not simply as plot devices. Some of them improve with time, such as Edgar Stiles and Curtis Manning. Some of them never improve, such as Driscoll and Sarah Gavin.
However, the most compelling new characters were Senator James Heller and Audrey Raines. This is hardly a surprise as they were both brought back for the reincarnation of this show in 24: Live Another Day. Both characters immediately stand out due to the performances of William Devane and Kim Raver. Devane, most well-known for Knots Landing, outshines everybody when he's on screen, which makes it disappointing when he disappears halfway through the season. Raver pretty much has to play upset and devastated the entire time, which she does so ably. While it did get a bit tiresome, a lesser actress would have made her character unbearable. Thankfully, she's sympathetic and relatable.
As the season goes on, they start to bring back old cast members. I was surprised at how effectively they managed to bring them back onto the show without it seeming too out-of-place. Tony Almeida's was the one that made the least sense, but come on I'm willing to forgo logic to get him back on the show. But Michelle replacing Driscoll and President Palmer needing to give advice to an utterly ineffective and clueless president works surprisingly well.
I also liked the show's upheaval of the presidential side of the show. While I enjoyed three seasons with President Palmer, there wasn't much new material to grind from an idealistic president who is also entirely predictable. So for the first half of the season, the president is almost ignored and in the background. Then in the latter half, 24 more closely follows the president, but they take a completely different route. They make a completely unprepared and incompetent president who takes advice from Palmer (who I was very pleased to see despite my complaints about his predictability). Gregory Itzin is so good in this role that you feel bad for him. But than the end happens and all the pieces of his character are put into place - he'll gladly take credit for something someone else did.
The show takes a stab at analyzing whether torture is right or wrong, but it seems to argue it's justifiable. The government tortured terrorists for months after 9/11 to mixed results. This show's form of torture? Oh, just like break their hand and then they'll immediately give up everything despite being deeply committed to the cause. It may help if the characters ever tortured the wrong person. I mean sure the senator's son was the wrong person technically, but they made him such a piece of a shit, it was hard to sympathize and he WAS holding something from the government. I mostly just wish the writers weren't like "How to we get from Point A to Point B? Oh let's just use torture on a suspect and he'll lead us there." Seriously, torture is used way too often in this season. I don't remember it being as big of an issue for the first three seasons.
24 is a show that I go back-and-forth with on its quality. On the one hand, when it works it really fucking works. The tension is palpable, the characters seem genuinely at risk, and you can't take your eyes off the screen. On the other hand, this show has some of the most ridiculous technobabble nonsense dialogue I've ever heard, overuses torture of all things, and has so many episodes that just seem like stalling for time.
The end result though is an almost always entertaining show. The show is willing to take risks, which means it can deliver on the threats the story presents. The fourth season is one of the better seasons the show has had thus far and probably one of the best seasons of the entire series.
Grade - B+
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Rewind: 24 S3
The third season of 24 is remarkably methodical. There's not really much spectacular about it, but there's also not really anything terrible about it. They have interesting storylines that tended to go a few episodes too long, but there's not any easily identifiable plot holes or stinkers. There was exactly one episode that ratcheted the tension enough to make my skin crawl, but the rest was mildly enjoyable television.
If it sounds like I'm complaining about this season, I'm not. Generally speaking, I'm the type of viewer who would tend to HATE 24 if I find a certain plot point implausible or repetitive - usually because that means it would go on for at least a few episodes. So if a season of 24 can make me feel ambivalent - not loving a season, but not really finding anything wrong with it - it's not the worst thing.
That said, I wasn't that invested in many of the storylines. The majority of the president's actions had a "been there, done that" feel. The debate setting for a second election was a smart choice although that ended after just five episodes. It was interesting to see President Palmer forced to acquiesce to a terrorist's demands. Sherry Palmer was a breath of a fresh air when she first appeared. (At which point she become quickly annoying) And... that's about it. Anything involving Anne was a drag because I did not care about Anne, and it was even worse that they broke up out of nowhere after all that trouble. I don't really have any strong feelings one way or the other about Wayne Palmer, except I guess at least his character is consistent.
I will say this: the threat is solid. The Salazars as villains are exactly like this season - serviceable, but nothing special. However a deadly virus that can theoretically kill nearly everyone? Yeah that's terrifying. I can't remember which specific episodes it is, but one of the episodes where Michelle is trying to contain the virus in the hotel is by far the best episode of this season. (For what it's worth, my best guess is the 17th episode)
And while Stephen Saunders is ok, making the president do orders against his will is extremely effective. Saunders' death was stupid, although at least foreshadowed. It certainly gave the sense that 24 episodes is far too many for a show like this. And Michelle not dying from the disease is kind of a cop-out, but at least understandable given that the writers are clearly not afraid of killing off major characters.
Speaking of which, the death of Ryan Chappelle is pretty astounding. It's not so much that he died but how he died. I think his actions from finding out about his death to the death were extremely well-written (although make note that I have zero idea how someone facing imminent death would react). Jack killing Nina was awesome - and I believe him killing her came at a detriment to the country if I remember correctly. Gael's death was also surprisingly touching considering half the episodes he was in, he was supposed to be a traitor.
The fact that the traitorous actions of Jack Bauer and Gael were all planned from the get-go is somewhat implausible, although it certainly does a lot to justify some rather outlandish actions and their potential consequences. Also, the threat certainly warrants their secretive behavior. I was all set to put Gael being a traitor as a negative, if only because he extremely conveniently happens to have an office completely separated from everyone else. (Unfortunately, I am not a big fan of the traitors in CTU which I'm pretty sure happens frequently enough that I will definitely have a problem with it in the future)
I have forgotten to talk about two major characters at all, which is Chase and Kim. Chase is another character that's simply ok. I didn't hate him. I'm not to sorry to find out he won't be returning for another season though. The romance between him and Kim took up far too much time - it really doesn't help that I knew neither character would return in the 4th season. One positive thing about that relationship is Jacks' reaction to it - hilarious and eventually touching. (And Jack's willingness to pull the trigger on Chase was not surprising, but still effective)
Bare with me a little longer as I talk about more plot somehow. 24 has more plot in one season than most shows do in entire series. At least that's what it seems like when you try to write about it all. Anyway, Jack's heroin withdrawal is a very good choice - making an invincible character need to deal with a weakness is always a strong idea. Predictably, it sort of peters out, but it would sort of be hard to watch 24 episodes of him sweating and nearly puking so I can't complain. I can however complain about the stupid tacked-on romance between Jack and Claudia, Hector's girlfriend. (In fact, Hector and Claudia doesn't work either)
This season justifies what will happen in the fourth season: a revamped cast. As much as I love President Palmer, there's only so much drama you can squeeze of his idealized persona. A new president will certainly give the show some much needed life in my opinion. (And really allow me to talk about new things because I'm grasping for topics beyond plot here.)
Overall, this appears to be your median 24 season. Everything is really solid. It does dishearten me a bit that I didn't love a median 24 season if only because it's clear this will never be one of my favorite shows. I think the best way to judge a 24 season is how much I want to watch the next episode upon finishing an episode: and I never really had that strong of an urge.
Grade - B
Playlist
1. "Ancient Audio" - Cyne
2. "I Wanna Get Better" - Bleachers
3. "I Wanna Go" - Summer Heart
4. "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" - Michael Jackson
5. "Hip Hop is Dead" - Nas
If it sounds like I'm complaining about this season, I'm not. Generally speaking, I'm the type of viewer who would tend to HATE 24 if I find a certain plot point implausible or repetitive - usually because that means it would go on for at least a few episodes. So if a season of 24 can make me feel ambivalent - not loving a season, but not really finding anything wrong with it - it's not the worst thing.
That said, I wasn't that invested in many of the storylines. The majority of the president's actions had a "been there, done that" feel. The debate setting for a second election was a smart choice although that ended after just five episodes. It was interesting to see President Palmer forced to acquiesce to a terrorist's demands. Sherry Palmer was a breath of a fresh air when she first appeared. (At which point she become quickly annoying) And... that's about it. Anything involving Anne was a drag because I did not care about Anne, and it was even worse that they broke up out of nowhere after all that trouble. I don't really have any strong feelings one way or the other about Wayne Palmer, except I guess at least his character is consistent.
I will say this: the threat is solid. The Salazars as villains are exactly like this season - serviceable, but nothing special. However a deadly virus that can theoretically kill nearly everyone? Yeah that's terrifying. I can't remember which specific episodes it is, but one of the episodes where Michelle is trying to contain the virus in the hotel is by far the best episode of this season. (For what it's worth, my best guess is the 17th episode)
And while Stephen Saunders is ok, making the president do orders against his will is extremely effective. Saunders' death was stupid, although at least foreshadowed. It certainly gave the sense that 24 episodes is far too many for a show like this. And Michelle not dying from the disease is kind of a cop-out, but at least understandable given that the writers are clearly not afraid of killing off major characters.
Speaking of which, the death of Ryan Chappelle is pretty astounding. It's not so much that he died but how he died. I think his actions from finding out about his death to the death were extremely well-written (although make note that I have zero idea how someone facing imminent death would react). Jack killing Nina was awesome - and I believe him killing her came at a detriment to the country if I remember correctly. Gael's death was also surprisingly touching considering half the episodes he was in, he was supposed to be a traitor.
The fact that the traitorous actions of Jack Bauer and Gael were all planned from the get-go is somewhat implausible, although it certainly does a lot to justify some rather outlandish actions and their potential consequences. Also, the threat certainly warrants their secretive behavior. I was all set to put Gael being a traitor as a negative, if only because he extremely conveniently happens to have an office completely separated from everyone else. (Unfortunately, I am not a big fan of the traitors in CTU which I'm pretty sure happens frequently enough that I will definitely have a problem with it in the future)
I have forgotten to talk about two major characters at all, which is Chase and Kim. Chase is another character that's simply ok. I didn't hate him. I'm not to sorry to find out he won't be returning for another season though. The romance between him and Kim took up far too much time - it really doesn't help that I knew neither character would return in the 4th season. One positive thing about that relationship is Jacks' reaction to it - hilarious and eventually touching. (And Jack's willingness to pull the trigger on Chase was not surprising, but still effective)
Bare with me a little longer as I talk about more plot somehow. 24 has more plot in one season than most shows do in entire series. At least that's what it seems like when you try to write about it all. Anyway, Jack's heroin withdrawal is a very good choice - making an invincible character need to deal with a weakness is always a strong idea. Predictably, it sort of peters out, but it would sort of be hard to watch 24 episodes of him sweating and nearly puking so I can't complain. I can however complain about the stupid tacked-on romance between Jack and Claudia, Hector's girlfriend. (In fact, Hector and Claudia doesn't work either)
This season justifies what will happen in the fourth season: a revamped cast. As much as I love President Palmer, there's only so much drama you can squeeze of his idealized persona. A new president will certainly give the show some much needed life in my opinion. (And really allow me to talk about new things because I'm grasping for topics beyond plot here.)
Overall, this appears to be your median 24 season. Everything is really solid. It does dishearten me a bit that I didn't love a median 24 season if only because it's clear this will never be one of my favorite shows. I think the best way to judge a 24 season is how much I want to watch the next episode upon finishing an episode: and I never really had that strong of an urge.
Grade - B
Playlist
1. "Ancient Audio" - Cyne
2. "I Wanna Get Better" - Bleachers
3. "I Wanna Go" - Summer Heart
4. "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" - Michael Jackson
5. "Hip Hop is Dead" - Nas
Thursday, July 24, 2014
24: Live Another Day
A necessary disclaimer: I've seen the first two seasons of 24 so I was essentially watching this as a first-time viewer. I mean I understood how 24 worked, but I knew none of the non-Jack Bauer characters, not even Chloe.
24 has always been the type of show that would obviously benefit from not having to write 24 episodes. Invariably, there are always going to be one or two storylines that are clearly filler, a way to fill up time for a character that has nothing to do. Shortening it to 12 episodes makes writers have tighter plots and tighter stories.
This season was not perfect, but it was probably one of the best seasons. I personally liked it better than 1 or 2, although my indication is that 5 was the undisputed best season. It remains to be seen for myself, but 24: Live Another Day will definitely be at the top of my list, because there's no useless filler. Everything presented is absolutely pertinent to the story.
If you think too hard about certain things that happen, it starts to become pretty clearly implausible. But what the writers did with these events is what mattered. They led to some surprisingly emotional moments that a show like 24 has no obligation to do. The last few episodes provided some successful emotional moments even as I had no Audrey-Jack history in my mind.
The one disappointing thing for me is that this season relied a lot on callbacks to previous seasons. That's actually a great thing, but I never met Chloe, President Heller, Audrey, or the surprise villain at the end. It didn't matter a whole lot - the show was kind enough to indicate connections where there was one and it's not like I missed much. It's just there's a certain value to seeing characters as early as the show wants you to and I missed that opportunity.
William Devane stands out this season for his excellent acting as President Heller, who tries to manage a country through a national crisis with oncoming Alzheimer's. Kiefer Sutherland is his usual "grab you by the throat and force you to accept everything's happening" self and I mean that as a compliment. Yvonne Strahovski plays a great female Jack (cause that's what she is). Lastly, Kim Raver manages to gain my affection for her and Jack's relationship despite me seeing none of their previous encounters. (As accomplished as Benjamin Bratt, Tate Donovan, and Gbenga Akinnagbe are, they don't get much to do, acting-wise)
The plot is pretty airtight, although the fact that the Russians and Chinese were working together is a little too tidy in my opinion. They could have made it a little more messy with the Russians simply going after Jack Bauer while the Chinese did their own thing. That's a small complaint though.
Overall, 24: Live Another Day proved to be one of the best seasons the series has ever done, which is kind of surprising since a rejuvenation of a series that ended on such a low note would appear to be a poor decision. No matter, they used those four years wisely and created 12 beautifully done episodes.
Grade - A-
Playlist
1. "Big Pimpin'" - Jay-Z feat. UGK
2. "Collard Greens" - Schoolboy Q feat. Kendrick Lamar
3. "Don't Save Me" - Haim
4. "I Can't Get Next to You" - The Temptations
5. "Dosas & Mimosas" - Cherub
24 has always been the type of show that would obviously benefit from not having to write 24 episodes. Invariably, there are always going to be one or two storylines that are clearly filler, a way to fill up time for a character that has nothing to do. Shortening it to 12 episodes makes writers have tighter plots and tighter stories.
This season was not perfect, but it was probably one of the best seasons. I personally liked it better than 1 or 2, although my indication is that 5 was the undisputed best season. It remains to be seen for myself, but 24: Live Another Day will definitely be at the top of my list, because there's no useless filler. Everything presented is absolutely pertinent to the story.
If you think too hard about certain things that happen, it starts to become pretty clearly implausible. But what the writers did with these events is what mattered. They led to some surprisingly emotional moments that a show like 24 has no obligation to do. The last few episodes provided some successful emotional moments even as I had no Audrey-Jack history in my mind.
The one disappointing thing for me is that this season relied a lot on callbacks to previous seasons. That's actually a great thing, but I never met Chloe, President Heller, Audrey, or the surprise villain at the end. It didn't matter a whole lot - the show was kind enough to indicate connections where there was one and it's not like I missed much. It's just there's a certain value to seeing characters as early as the show wants you to and I missed that opportunity.
William Devane stands out this season for his excellent acting as President Heller, who tries to manage a country through a national crisis with oncoming Alzheimer's. Kiefer Sutherland is his usual "grab you by the throat and force you to accept everything's happening" self and I mean that as a compliment. Yvonne Strahovski plays a great female Jack (cause that's what she is). Lastly, Kim Raver manages to gain my affection for her and Jack's relationship despite me seeing none of their previous encounters. (As accomplished as Benjamin Bratt, Tate Donovan, and Gbenga Akinnagbe are, they don't get much to do, acting-wise)
The plot is pretty airtight, although the fact that the Russians and Chinese were working together is a little too tidy in my opinion. They could have made it a little more messy with the Russians simply going after Jack Bauer while the Chinese did their own thing. That's a small complaint though.
Overall, 24: Live Another Day proved to be one of the best seasons the series has ever done, which is kind of surprising since a rejuvenation of a series that ended on such a low note would appear to be a poor decision. No matter, they used those four years wisely and created 12 beautifully done episodes.
Grade - A-
Playlist
1. "Big Pimpin'" - Jay-Z feat. UGK
2. "Collard Greens" - Schoolboy Q feat. Kendrick Lamar
3. "Don't Save Me" - Haim
4. "I Can't Get Next to You" - The Temptations
5. "Dosas & Mimosas" - Cherub
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Rewind: 24 S2
When I explained my reservations about the future of 24 in my first season, I had no idea they would come true so quickly. This season is a mess. A big, fat mess. There are to be sure some good things in this season, but it's mostly just frustrating. I'm frankly glad I'm getting at least a five month break from this show at this point.
Thankfully, going in, I knew this wasn't a great season. I visited various sites and at best this was a middle-of-the-pack 24 season. So I'm not stopping the show or anything, but this season just kind of sucked.
First off, the black hole of this season, Kim Bauer. I didn't mind her in the first season, but she's just so useless and irrelevant in this season. None of the things that happen to her matter. Oh, she's accused of murder? I'm sure that'll stick! Oh, inconceivably rage-induced husband is after her? That entire plot seemed cut from a different show; it was like a shitty horror movie) What doesn't help is that this is a TV show so we know that her constant attempts to get out of LA are useless since there's no fucking way that nuclear bomb harms a single soul in LA.
What really sucks is most of this season was completely dragged down by that. I'm not going to act like every other story worked, but without Kim's story, a good enough percentage of them worked to enjoy this story. The problem is that Kim's plot took up too much of the episode. I'm not sure how much actual time she was on the show, but anything greater than 0 was too much for what they gave her to do.
Jack's infiltration into a bomb group and the subsequent bombing of CTU worked great. Most of President Palmer plots worked pretty well, but it became pretty tiresome and utterly ridiculous that almost everybody was working against him. And they got Lynn out of the story... by having her fall like 10 flights of stairs? Come on, that's clearly just writing her out of the show in an unrealistic way. I didn't mind that they were trying to kick him off the presidency surprisingly as much as I was first annoyed by it. So it's got that going for it.
What works amazingly, improbably well is the arc of George Mason. This shouldn't have been as good as it was, but Xander Berkely put forth one of the finest performances I've seen on television. He was so damn good. When he left the show via his death, there was a hole the rest of the season. His replacement, Ryan Chappelle, frankly didn't hold a candle to Mason.
I also mostly liked the Warner family plot. Kate was kind of shoe-horned and forced into the show as it dragged on, but enough of it worked to enjoy it. I don't expect realism in 24, but I do expect to not be annoyed by a storyline. This one succeeded.
24's treatment of Middle Easters is somewhat surprisingly well-handled. Reza Naiyeer is completely innocent, which seems to be the case for most of the season. Yusuf Auda it turns out didn't have a hidden agenda and just wanted to keep his country safe. But that does remind me of the obvious stalling technique when Yusuf and Kate are beat up by racists out of nowhere. Man, just when I think of a reason to like this season, I've got another two of why I disliked it.
Overall, this was a bad season. I'm not going to go as far as say this was bad television, but it was at the best a frustrating and prolonged experience. I sincerely hope future seasons are much better, because this was a glorified piece of shit.
Playlist
1. "Annie You Save Me" - Graffiti6
2. "Constant Conversations" - Passion Pit
3. "Fuck Swag" - Rittz
4. "Lovely Day" - Bill Withers
5. "Don't Stop Me Now" - Queen
Thankfully, going in, I knew this wasn't a great season. I visited various sites and at best this was a middle-of-the-pack 24 season. So I'm not stopping the show or anything, but this season just kind of sucked.
First off, the black hole of this season, Kim Bauer. I didn't mind her in the first season, but she's just so useless and irrelevant in this season. None of the things that happen to her matter. Oh, she's accused of murder? I'm sure that'll stick! Oh, inconceivably rage-induced husband is after her? That entire plot seemed cut from a different show; it was like a shitty horror movie) What doesn't help is that this is a TV show so we know that her constant attempts to get out of LA are useless since there's no fucking way that nuclear bomb harms a single soul in LA.
What really sucks is most of this season was completely dragged down by that. I'm not going to act like every other story worked, but without Kim's story, a good enough percentage of them worked to enjoy this story. The problem is that Kim's plot took up too much of the episode. I'm not sure how much actual time she was on the show, but anything greater than 0 was too much for what they gave her to do.
Jack's infiltration into a bomb group and the subsequent bombing of CTU worked great. Most of President Palmer plots worked pretty well, but it became pretty tiresome and utterly ridiculous that almost everybody was working against him. And they got Lynn out of the story... by having her fall like 10 flights of stairs? Come on, that's clearly just writing her out of the show in an unrealistic way. I didn't mind that they were trying to kick him off the presidency surprisingly as much as I was first annoyed by it. So it's got that going for it.
What works amazingly, improbably well is the arc of George Mason. This shouldn't have been as good as it was, but Xander Berkely put forth one of the finest performances I've seen on television. He was so damn good. When he left the show via his death, there was a hole the rest of the season. His replacement, Ryan Chappelle, frankly didn't hold a candle to Mason.
I also mostly liked the Warner family plot. Kate was kind of shoe-horned and forced into the show as it dragged on, but enough of it worked to enjoy it. I don't expect realism in 24, but I do expect to not be annoyed by a storyline. This one succeeded.
24's treatment of Middle Easters is somewhat surprisingly well-handled. Reza Naiyeer is completely innocent, which seems to be the case for most of the season. Yusuf Auda it turns out didn't have a hidden agenda and just wanted to keep his country safe. But that does remind me of the obvious stalling technique when Yusuf and Kate are beat up by racists out of nowhere. Man, just when I think of a reason to like this season, I've got another two of why I disliked it.
Overall, this was a bad season. I'm not going to go as far as say this was bad television, but it was at the best a frustrating and prolonged experience. I sincerely hope future seasons are much better, because this was a glorified piece of shit.
Playlist
1. "Annie You Save Me" - Graffiti6
2. "Constant Conversations" - Passion Pit
3. "Fuck Swag" - Rittz
4. "Lovely Day" - Bill Withers
5. "Don't Stop Me Now" - Queen
Thursday, December 26, 2013
24: S1 Review
My preconception about 24 was that it was ridiculous, unrealistic, and thrilling. I was pleased to be wrong on just one of those preconceptions. Well, sure it's not completely realistic, but for the most part, it's easy to accept. In a show such as this, the standard is simply "Can you accept what's happening in the context of the show?" For the first season at least, that's a clear yes.
The first season managed to completely satisfy me, but also increase concerns about watching future seasons. It has that air of "Sure it worked this time, but how long can they keep this up?" It also had a bit of repetitiveness that I'm afraid will return. (Namely, Kim getting in trouble again I'm sure is a given). However, that's for future seasons, this post is about the first one.
24 is ridiculously addicting. I held off on watching this show during the school year for fear that it would interfere with my studies. That seems to be a correct assumption. I'm going to make sure I have no serious obligations when I start a season. And thank god that after each season I can simply stop without being compelled to start the new season. (I did have an immediate need to start it, but after that initial resistance, I haven't felt the urge to start watching again.)
Kiefer Sutherland, whose movie career had essentially died, experienced a career renaissance thanks to 24. He certainly played a part in that renaissance as he does a pretty good job with this role. He brings a sense of urgency to the role that matches the script. He has a way of saying something completely ridiculous, but you believe what he is saying is the truth. While we do experience the ridiculous things he says to other characters, it's not hard to buy why all these characters are following him or believing him despite the fact that they don't witness those events.
Similarly, Dennis Haybert plays a convincing president as his demeanor frequently changes from charming to furious to demanding. His attitude seems a little too unrealistic for a politician as he strives to always do the right thing, but it's always fun to see an idealized president since we're never going to get that in real life. (I'm a cynic what can I say?)
The writers are able to obtain an abnormally long string of realistic, tense episodes. I'll admit though that I cringed when Kim was captured the second time. I understand the plot need for it, but that was a bridge too far for me to accept. Also, Teri Bauer's amnesia was a stupid plot device. Amnesia is perhaps the laziest storytelling technique there is. Those are quite literally my only complaints (plot-wise), which is pretty impressive for this type of show.
Before I started, I heard some negative comments about Kim - or at least I'm aware that Kim is not exactly well-liked. Elisha Cuthbert plays her so this was kind of alarming to me. Anyway, she did a few stupid things this season, but nothing I can't forgive for just being a teenager. So far, she's still useful as a character. I also think Cuthbert does a good job so I'm preparing for the writers to ruin this character in future seasons.
I wasn't a huge fan of the twist at the end with Nina being the mole. It was somewhat predictable at a certain point late in the season when she tried to pin it on George Mason. With that said, I stopped paying attention on whether Nina was a mole or not really early on. My impression is that her actions were inconsistent with a mole most of the season, but I couldn't confirm. Meanwhile, Mason's would have been inconsistent (which I was paying attention to) so I was grateful he wasn't the mole which is probably why I wasn't bothered by the twist as much as I may have been. Plus, her being a mole did allow Teri Bauer to get killed, which kind of had to happen. You can't have nobody important die if you want to keep the tension. (Although Richard Walsh's death in episode two surprised the hell out of me.)
The script doesn't allow for a lot of personal stories outside of Jack Bauer so I'll have to give credit to two actors that impressed me. Xander Berkeley as George Mason, a crazy experienced actor with 207 credits on IMDB, was fantastic. He just hits all the right notes as a good boss whose constant brushing off of Teri pleased me. (On the flip side, it wasn't a good sign that she was as annoying as she was with perfectly valid concerns while at CTU. I'm not sure if that's the writing or the actress, but honestly I'm sort of glad I don't have to experience that anymore.)
The other actor was Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida. He just has that perfect "Are you kidding me?" reaction to everything going on that was needed on this show. Also, he gets shit done and seems the most sensible of almost any character.
I know 24 eventually declines in quality like most other shows so I want to see if it's a product of writers leaving or losing influence. I'll do this by chronicling who writes most of the episodes in this season. This season, the two creators have a lot of influence and thus that can safely explain the success of the show.
Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, the creators, wrote the pilot and then separated writing responsibilities until the finale. Surnow moved on to writing eight other episodes with Michael Loceff, including the finale, which was a collaboration between four different writers. Cochran wrote two episodes by himself and then teamed with Howard Gordon for four other episodes, including the finale. So the creators collectively were responsible for writing 14 of the 24 episodes. The remaining 10 episodes are given to six writers. There's only one episode given to any of them within the first five episodes and none were given to any of them in the last six episodes. Most of them barely make enough of an appearance in future seasons if at all to draw any conclusion.
There are two exceptions. Chip Johannessen wrote a single episode this season and then wrote a good chunk of Season 8 episodes. The other is Virgil Williams, who wrote three episodes over the next two seasons and then left the show. Overall though, this was basically the creators' show at this point, and their respective writing partners. Any sense of decline could not be seen from any of the other writers and only by less writing by the creators.
On the directors side of the coin, Stephen Hopkins was clearly the favorite among the creators. He directed 12 episodes including both the pilot and the finale. Six other directors worked on this season, all of them receiving two episodes back-to-back. I wonder if Stephen Hopkins is a mainstay across seasons (and the other directors I suppose). It certainly explains the consistent direction (and one could argue anyway that future directors probably watched the show and could copy the direction so it's less important) Hopkins though appears to be the reason 24 was shot in the unique style it was.
Overall, it's kind of hard to believe that this show was made in 2001. It still stands up really well in 2013. I realize that wasn't a long time ago, but this comes before The Wire, Breaking Bad, and only comes after The Sopranos among the greatest shows of all time. While it's a completely different show, it's still very original even in 2013. I can't speak to how future seasons will look, but season one justifies the existence of the seven seasons to follow by itself in my opinion.
Playlist
1. Savagely Attack - CZARFACE ft. Ghostface Killah
2. Domo 23 - Tyler, the Creator
3. The Mother We Share - CHVRCHES
4. Strictly Reserved for You - Charles Bradley
5. The Way - Fastball
The first season managed to completely satisfy me, but also increase concerns about watching future seasons. It has that air of "Sure it worked this time, but how long can they keep this up?" It also had a bit of repetitiveness that I'm afraid will return. (Namely, Kim getting in trouble again I'm sure is a given). However, that's for future seasons, this post is about the first one.
24 is ridiculously addicting. I held off on watching this show during the school year for fear that it would interfere with my studies. That seems to be a correct assumption. I'm going to make sure I have no serious obligations when I start a season. And thank god that after each season I can simply stop without being compelled to start the new season. (I did have an immediate need to start it, but after that initial resistance, I haven't felt the urge to start watching again.)
Kiefer Sutherland, whose movie career had essentially died, experienced a career renaissance thanks to 24. He certainly played a part in that renaissance as he does a pretty good job with this role. He brings a sense of urgency to the role that matches the script. He has a way of saying something completely ridiculous, but you believe what he is saying is the truth. While we do experience the ridiculous things he says to other characters, it's not hard to buy why all these characters are following him or believing him despite the fact that they don't witness those events.
Similarly, Dennis Haybert plays a convincing president as his demeanor frequently changes from charming to furious to demanding. His attitude seems a little too unrealistic for a politician as he strives to always do the right thing, but it's always fun to see an idealized president since we're never going to get that in real life. (I'm a cynic what can I say?)
The writers are able to obtain an abnormally long string of realistic, tense episodes. I'll admit though that I cringed when Kim was captured the second time. I understand the plot need for it, but that was a bridge too far for me to accept. Also, Teri Bauer's amnesia was a stupid plot device. Amnesia is perhaps the laziest storytelling technique there is. Those are quite literally my only complaints (plot-wise), which is pretty impressive for this type of show.
Before I started, I heard some negative comments about Kim - or at least I'm aware that Kim is not exactly well-liked. Elisha Cuthbert plays her so this was kind of alarming to me. Anyway, she did a few stupid things this season, but nothing I can't forgive for just being a teenager. So far, she's still useful as a character. I also think Cuthbert does a good job so I'm preparing for the writers to ruin this character in future seasons.
I wasn't a huge fan of the twist at the end with Nina being the mole. It was somewhat predictable at a certain point late in the season when she tried to pin it on George Mason. With that said, I stopped paying attention on whether Nina was a mole or not really early on. My impression is that her actions were inconsistent with a mole most of the season, but I couldn't confirm. Meanwhile, Mason's would have been inconsistent (which I was paying attention to) so I was grateful he wasn't the mole which is probably why I wasn't bothered by the twist as much as I may have been. Plus, her being a mole did allow Teri Bauer to get killed, which kind of had to happen. You can't have nobody important die if you want to keep the tension. (Although Richard Walsh's death in episode two surprised the hell out of me.)
The script doesn't allow for a lot of personal stories outside of Jack Bauer so I'll have to give credit to two actors that impressed me. Xander Berkeley as George Mason, a crazy experienced actor with 207 credits on IMDB, was fantastic. He just hits all the right notes as a good boss whose constant brushing off of Teri pleased me. (On the flip side, it wasn't a good sign that she was as annoying as she was with perfectly valid concerns while at CTU. I'm not sure if that's the writing or the actress, but honestly I'm sort of glad I don't have to experience that anymore.)
The other actor was Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida. He just has that perfect "Are you kidding me?" reaction to everything going on that was needed on this show. Also, he gets shit done and seems the most sensible of almost any character.
I know 24 eventually declines in quality like most other shows so I want to see if it's a product of writers leaving or losing influence. I'll do this by chronicling who writes most of the episodes in this season. This season, the two creators have a lot of influence and thus that can safely explain the success of the show.
Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, the creators, wrote the pilot and then separated writing responsibilities until the finale. Surnow moved on to writing eight other episodes with Michael Loceff, including the finale, which was a collaboration between four different writers. Cochran wrote two episodes by himself and then teamed with Howard Gordon for four other episodes, including the finale. So the creators collectively were responsible for writing 14 of the 24 episodes. The remaining 10 episodes are given to six writers. There's only one episode given to any of them within the first five episodes and none were given to any of them in the last six episodes. Most of them barely make enough of an appearance in future seasons if at all to draw any conclusion.
There are two exceptions. Chip Johannessen wrote a single episode this season and then wrote a good chunk of Season 8 episodes. The other is Virgil Williams, who wrote three episodes over the next two seasons and then left the show. Overall though, this was basically the creators' show at this point, and their respective writing partners. Any sense of decline could not be seen from any of the other writers and only by less writing by the creators.
On the directors side of the coin, Stephen Hopkins was clearly the favorite among the creators. He directed 12 episodes including both the pilot and the finale. Six other directors worked on this season, all of them receiving two episodes back-to-back. I wonder if Stephen Hopkins is a mainstay across seasons (and the other directors I suppose). It certainly explains the consistent direction (and one could argue anyway that future directors probably watched the show and could copy the direction so it's less important) Hopkins though appears to be the reason 24 was shot in the unique style it was.
Overall, it's kind of hard to believe that this show was made in 2001. It still stands up really well in 2013. I realize that wasn't a long time ago, but this comes before The Wire, Breaking Bad, and only comes after The Sopranos among the greatest shows of all time. While it's a completely different show, it's still very original even in 2013. I can't speak to how future seasons will look, but season one justifies the existence of the seven seasons to follow by itself in my opinion.
Playlist
1. Savagely Attack - CZARFACE ft. Ghostface Killah
2. Domo 23 - Tyler, the Creator
3. The Mother We Share - CHVRCHES
4. Strictly Reserved for You - Charles Bradley
5. The Way - Fastball
Friday, January 18, 2013
The Shows that Changed Television
Before reading this, I suggest you read the introduction to this site where I say what I'm doing.
The best, the most noteworthy, and the most impactful television shows on television have been determined not by myself, but a respected TV critic named Alan Sepinwall. They have been whittled to twelve TV shows from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Breaking Bad.
I'm not going to comment on what exactly Sepinwall means when he says they changed TV shows, but I'm going to attempt to explain. These are shows that did what no one else in television had done yet and they began doing things that other television shows wanted to. Also, it was just spectacularly well-done with good writing and good acting.
What I've Seen
The first show that changed television that I've personally seen is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The name does not do the show justice. The show has one of the biggest cult followings out there. Joss Whedon has said multiple times that he'd rather do a show that 100 people love to watch than 1,000 that just like the show. (I probably messed that up, but its captures the meaning of whatever he actually said)
Anyway, this show will easily get its own post, probably a few of them. I'm restraining myself from going into greater detail, because this post would go on forever if I did. Anyway, Buffy first aired in March of 1997 as a mid-season replacement on a network that was only a few years old (WB). It somehow ended up lasting seven seasons and a network change (It switched to UPN after five seasons at the WB).
This is a show that rewards its fan. It knows what its doing. It foreshadows many events well before they happen, which makes watching it through a second time almost necessary. This is a show that references things that happened in Season 1 in its last season. If you look closely at the dialogue, you'll find a lot of meta-commentary on itself. I cannot go into anymore detail because I'm choosing to stay in the no spoilers range for now.
So, if you have the time or a new series that you want to watch, ignore the name of the show and watch it. If you have patience, watch Season 1 first (which I may add is only 12 episodes...) and then get rewarded with the next six seasons. If you want to get straight into the good stuff, start with School Hard on Season 2, Episode 3, which is the beginning of a two-season run of excellence. (You might get a bit confused at parts however).
Then there's The Wire. It's pretty impossible for me to talk about this show, because I probably come up sounding like a babbling idiot. I think David Simon hates his audience. His first season introduces many new characters that it takes a few episodes to stop figuring out who is who and what they do. Then when we finally settle in, the second season decides to abandon the drug trade and targets the working class through stevedores working on the Baltimore port.
Season 4 introduces kids and does a pretty incredible job of explaining how the system failed them. It's heartbreaking. It's great television. The Wire is not a show to watch for happiness. Basically, the message of the show is about the declining cities in America, the system will fail you, and institutions prevent change (negatively) - among other depressing messages that are pretty much true. Also, the masterpiece that is Season 4 barely includes the main lead of the show, Jimmy McNulty, which is strange for any television show.
I'm going to save anything else I say about The Wire for another post.
Next up is Lost. Here's a divisive show. Lost first aired in September of 2004 and ended its six-season run in May of 2010. I largely loved the show, though its one of those shows you should not watch unless you have a month of free time, because nearly every episode ends on some kind of a cliffhanger. Unfortunately, the show tends to mislead its audience and never returns to information that was seemingly vital at the time. Call it the anti-Buffy.
There is no question why Lost is on this list. It did a few things that had never been done before. In conjunction with its regular story, the show did flashbacks on every single episode to add backstory to the characters. Season 4 and Season 6 also featured something similar which I will not reveal since part of the fun of the early episodes of those seasons were figuring out what was going on. Warning: This show DID piss a lot of fans off, so keep that in mind.
Next show is Friday Night Lights, which somehow lasted five seasons when almost nobody watched it at the time it was aired. It's a show about people in a football-driven town. It's not a show about football. Important distinction. It's a show based on a movie that was based on a book written by Buzz Bisinger. There are talks about a possible movie which would make that movie based on a TV series based on another movie which was based on a book.
Unlike Buffy, FNL was a great show from the start. Watch the pilot and if you don't like it, your opinion sucks. But seriously if you somehow watch the pilot and come away disappointed, I can't really suggest you watch the rest of the series. Most shows need to figure out what they are about and what the audience likes, but this show hit the ground running immediately.
Also, this tip is easy to do since most TV series set in high school do the same thing, but ignore the 30-year-olds who are somehow in high school (I'm exaggerating, but the age thing is still ridiculous). The only one who looks remotely like a teenager is.... a teenager who plays the coach's daughter.
Shows I'm still watching
Since I'm doing a chronological thing apparently, I'll start with The Sopranos. This is the show that basically every other show since can thank for what it did. I'm only in Season 2, so I can't really explain its impact or what it does very well.
I know it largely started the star of the show being an anti-hero. He's a bad guy, but we love him. For example, Don Draper on Mad Men, Walter White on Breaking Bad, Stringer Bell and Omar Little on The Wire - among others. These are men that we somehow root for even if we know they are terrible terrible people.
It shows how unglamorous and how mundane mob activity is in everyday life. Sure, there is a lot of killing and these men will do terrible things for money, but the show basically shows how much like a real job it is. I can't think of a single Sopranos family member except the son (who still has five more seasons to do something) who is NOT manipulative and clever at getting people to do what they want.
The show is character-driven and you rarely see characters act out-of-character. Lastly, the show is showing the mob as past their prime and on the decline and the end is in sight. Also, I think it's a commentary on America, but I'm not far enough to comment further. The show began it's run in January of 1999 and ended its run in June of 2007. Date-wise, I'm in March of 2000, so I have hardly scratched the surface.
Next is Mad Men, which began airing in July of 2007. This show is a period piece heavy with a character-driven emphasis . It's honestly kind of slow, but the fact that it feels like the show is set in 1960, is well-acted, and well done all around makes it a great show. If this makes sense, the show is like real life so the plot is... almost not there. However, most people won't watch shows for its plot, they watch it for the characters.
Mad Men undoubtedly did something few television shows attempt and I'm pretty sure none have done it better. The attention to detail on the sets and the clothes and the attitudes all seem accurate. (I obviously can't say that it is having not been born until a while later)
It captures the smoking culture, the largely intolerant culture (of gays and sexist attitudes), the acceptance of casual drinking, and at times fits in how characters reacted to famous events back then. All that keeps the viewer interested for the first few episodes, but the character work keeps them watching the show. After all, you can't sustain a gimmick for multiple seasons if there's nothing on the surface.
Lastly, there's Breaking Bad. This is - last season pending - my second favorite TV show behind The Wire. There's pretty much nothing it can do to surpass The Wire, but I don't think any TV show has come anywhere close to The Wire either. Breaking Bad is definitely #2 on my list and barring a disaster of an ending, will probably be way ahead of #3. The show has portrayed a normal guy, who by all accounts is a model citizen, and slowly morphed him into a genuinely evil man who has killed many people for his own gain. I saw Walter White as inspirational at the beginning of the series and now I'm not rooting for him at all. Well done.
Shows I will watch
With the exception of 24 and The Shield, I have little idea of what to expect from these shows. I just know that they're good. For instance, I have absolutely no idea what Deadwood is about. I'm pretty sure it's a Western and I'm pretty sure the series ends rather abruptly (not hard to believe given it lasts just three seasons).
I know the series Oz is about prison life, but not much else. I also know Juno's dad and Mayhem play characters in the series so there's that. Also, apparently Oz was The Sopranos without the viewership. It paved the way for The Sopranos with its storytelling, it just didn't get the viewers to be as widely recognized. It was critically acclaimed, it just wasn't received greatly by the audience. The Sopranos was. (So I understand the importance of this to television, as opposed to Deadwood, where I have no clue at all as to its importance)
Battlestar Galactica is the same way. I know its a scifi show and I know it's... well that's actually it. I have the benefit of having little idea of what this show was about as before I started getting into TV and that has allowed me to avoid any information at all. I might as well watch this as if it was 2004, because i have the same knowledge of the show as the original viewers did.
As for the shows I have an idea about, I know 24 is set within one day. I've heard that the first season is good television, and then it gets a bit ridiculous the more seasons that come (Source: Tim Goodman). This is the show I am most worried about watching. It has so many seasons and it's apparently so addicting, that by the time I'm watching what is probably bad TV, I'll already be hooked and keep watching. So I'm pretty sure I need to stop watching at some point when I get into this show and not watch the entire series.
I know The Shield is about a cop who is willing to kill and break the law to get justice. That's about it. This is a show though that I knew was around, but never watched. (As opposed to Deadwood, which I didn't know existed when it aired).
Final Thoughts
Here's something odd that I can't explain: I plan on re-watching each series so far that I've seen, but I have literally zero inclination right now to re-watch Friday Night Lights. I have an irresistible desire to re-watch The Wire at least once a year for the rest of my life and to re-watch Buffy probably more than two times (already started the first re-watch). I want to re-watch The Sopranos and Mad Men, not because of an irresistible desire, but because I think I'd appreciate the show a lot more if I did.
Lost has a very small inkling of being re-watched. I want to watch Lost in chronological order as some super fan has arranged the show to be watched in that order. I have hardly any desire to re-watch the show as it aired though. I'm not really sure what the point of telling you this was, but I guess that even though I have a bunch of TV shows, these transcendent TV shows have forced me to make time so I could watch something I have already seen. I think it's pretty remarkable to make a viewer want to watch a show where they know what's coming. It's relatively easy to make a viewer curious to watch a show the first time, but to make a viewer watch multiple times is very impressive. (I can't explain it, but Friends is never old for me and probably never will be. I'm guessing nostalgia)
Next post: Quirky comedy section gets highlighted with NINE shows that I am still in the middle of watching.
The best, the most noteworthy, and the most impactful television shows on television have been determined not by myself, but a respected TV critic named Alan Sepinwall. They have been whittled to twelve TV shows from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Breaking Bad.
I'm not going to comment on what exactly Sepinwall means when he says they changed TV shows, but I'm going to attempt to explain. These are shows that did what no one else in television had done yet and they began doing things that other television shows wanted to. Also, it was just spectacularly well-done with good writing and good acting.
What I've Seen
The first show that changed television that I've personally seen is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The name does not do the show justice. The show has one of the biggest cult followings out there. Joss Whedon has said multiple times that he'd rather do a show that 100 people love to watch than 1,000 that just like the show. (I probably messed that up, but its captures the meaning of whatever he actually said)
Anyway, this show will easily get its own post, probably a few of them. I'm restraining myself from going into greater detail, because this post would go on forever if I did. Anyway, Buffy first aired in March of 1997 as a mid-season replacement on a network that was only a few years old (WB). It somehow ended up lasting seven seasons and a network change (It switched to UPN after five seasons at the WB).
This is a show that rewards its fan. It knows what its doing. It foreshadows many events well before they happen, which makes watching it through a second time almost necessary. This is a show that references things that happened in Season 1 in its last season. If you look closely at the dialogue, you'll find a lot of meta-commentary on itself. I cannot go into anymore detail because I'm choosing to stay in the no spoilers range for now.
So, if you have the time or a new series that you want to watch, ignore the name of the show and watch it. If you have patience, watch Season 1 first (which I may add is only 12 episodes...) and then get rewarded with the next six seasons. If you want to get straight into the good stuff, start with School Hard on Season 2, Episode 3, which is the beginning of a two-season run of excellence. (You might get a bit confused at parts however).
Then there's The Wire. It's pretty impossible for me to talk about this show, because I probably come up sounding like a babbling idiot. I think David Simon hates his audience. His first season introduces many new characters that it takes a few episodes to stop figuring out who is who and what they do. Then when we finally settle in, the second season decides to abandon the drug trade and targets the working class through stevedores working on the Baltimore port.
Season 4 introduces kids and does a pretty incredible job of explaining how the system failed them. It's heartbreaking. It's great television. The Wire is not a show to watch for happiness. Basically, the message of the show is about the declining cities in America, the system will fail you, and institutions prevent change (negatively) - among other depressing messages that are pretty much true. Also, the masterpiece that is Season 4 barely includes the main lead of the show, Jimmy McNulty, which is strange for any television show.
I'm going to save anything else I say about The Wire for another post.
Next up is Lost. Here's a divisive show. Lost first aired in September of 2004 and ended its six-season run in May of 2010. I largely loved the show, though its one of those shows you should not watch unless you have a month of free time, because nearly every episode ends on some kind of a cliffhanger. Unfortunately, the show tends to mislead its audience and never returns to information that was seemingly vital at the time. Call it the anti-Buffy.
There is no question why Lost is on this list. It did a few things that had never been done before. In conjunction with its regular story, the show did flashbacks on every single episode to add backstory to the characters. Season 4 and Season 6 also featured something similar which I will not reveal since part of the fun of the early episodes of those seasons were figuring out what was going on. Warning: This show DID piss a lot of fans off, so keep that in mind.
Next show is Friday Night Lights, which somehow lasted five seasons when almost nobody watched it at the time it was aired. It's a show about people in a football-driven town. It's not a show about football. Important distinction. It's a show based on a movie that was based on a book written by Buzz Bisinger. There are talks about a possible movie which would make that movie based on a TV series based on another movie which was based on a book.
Unlike Buffy, FNL was a great show from the start. Watch the pilot and if you don't like it, your opinion sucks. But seriously if you somehow watch the pilot and come away disappointed, I can't really suggest you watch the rest of the series. Most shows need to figure out what they are about and what the audience likes, but this show hit the ground running immediately.
Also, this tip is easy to do since most TV series set in high school do the same thing, but ignore the 30-year-olds who are somehow in high school (I'm exaggerating, but the age thing is still ridiculous). The only one who looks remotely like a teenager is.... a teenager who plays the coach's daughter.
Shows I'm still watching
Since I'm doing a chronological thing apparently, I'll start with The Sopranos. This is the show that basically every other show since can thank for what it did. I'm only in Season 2, so I can't really explain its impact or what it does very well.
I know it largely started the star of the show being an anti-hero. He's a bad guy, but we love him. For example, Don Draper on Mad Men, Walter White on Breaking Bad, Stringer Bell and Omar Little on The Wire - among others. These are men that we somehow root for even if we know they are terrible terrible people.
It shows how unglamorous and how mundane mob activity is in everyday life. Sure, there is a lot of killing and these men will do terrible things for money, but the show basically shows how much like a real job it is. I can't think of a single Sopranos family member except the son (who still has five more seasons to do something) who is NOT manipulative and clever at getting people to do what they want.
The show is character-driven and you rarely see characters act out-of-character. Lastly, the show is showing the mob as past their prime and on the decline and the end is in sight. Also, I think it's a commentary on America, but I'm not far enough to comment further. The show began it's run in January of 1999 and ended its run in June of 2007. Date-wise, I'm in March of 2000, so I have hardly scratched the surface.
Next is Mad Men, which began airing in July of 2007. This show is a period piece heavy with a character-driven emphasis . It's honestly kind of slow, but the fact that it feels like the show is set in 1960, is well-acted, and well done all around makes it a great show. If this makes sense, the show is like real life so the plot is... almost not there. However, most people won't watch shows for its plot, they watch it for the characters.
Mad Men undoubtedly did something few television shows attempt and I'm pretty sure none have done it better. The attention to detail on the sets and the clothes and the attitudes all seem accurate. (I obviously can't say that it is having not been born until a while later)
It captures the smoking culture, the largely intolerant culture (of gays and sexist attitudes), the acceptance of casual drinking, and at times fits in how characters reacted to famous events back then. All that keeps the viewer interested for the first few episodes, but the character work keeps them watching the show. After all, you can't sustain a gimmick for multiple seasons if there's nothing on the surface.
Lastly, there's Breaking Bad. This is - last season pending - my second favorite TV show behind The Wire. There's pretty much nothing it can do to surpass The Wire, but I don't think any TV show has come anywhere close to The Wire either. Breaking Bad is definitely #2 on my list and barring a disaster of an ending, will probably be way ahead of #3. The show has portrayed a normal guy, who by all accounts is a model citizen, and slowly morphed him into a genuinely evil man who has killed many people for his own gain. I saw Walter White as inspirational at the beginning of the series and now I'm not rooting for him at all. Well done.
Shows I will watch
With the exception of 24 and The Shield, I have little idea of what to expect from these shows. I just know that they're good. For instance, I have absolutely no idea what Deadwood is about. I'm pretty sure it's a Western and I'm pretty sure the series ends rather abruptly (not hard to believe given it lasts just three seasons).
I know the series Oz is about prison life, but not much else. I also know Juno's dad and Mayhem play characters in the series so there's that. Also, apparently Oz was The Sopranos without the viewership. It paved the way for The Sopranos with its storytelling, it just didn't get the viewers to be as widely recognized. It was critically acclaimed, it just wasn't received greatly by the audience. The Sopranos was. (So I understand the importance of this to television, as opposed to Deadwood, where I have no clue at all as to its importance)
Battlestar Galactica is the same way. I know its a scifi show and I know it's... well that's actually it. I have the benefit of having little idea of what this show was about as before I started getting into TV and that has allowed me to avoid any information at all. I might as well watch this as if it was 2004, because i have the same knowledge of the show as the original viewers did.
As for the shows I have an idea about, I know 24 is set within one day. I've heard that the first season is good television, and then it gets a bit ridiculous the more seasons that come (Source: Tim Goodman). This is the show I am most worried about watching. It has so many seasons and it's apparently so addicting, that by the time I'm watching what is probably bad TV, I'll already be hooked and keep watching. So I'm pretty sure I need to stop watching at some point when I get into this show and not watch the entire series.
I know The Shield is about a cop who is willing to kill and break the law to get justice. That's about it. This is a show though that I knew was around, but never watched. (As opposed to Deadwood, which I didn't know existed when it aired).
Final Thoughts
Here's something odd that I can't explain: I plan on re-watching each series so far that I've seen, but I have literally zero inclination right now to re-watch Friday Night Lights. I have an irresistible desire to re-watch The Wire at least once a year for the rest of my life and to re-watch Buffy probably more than two times (already started the first re-watch). I want to re-watch The Sopranos and Mad Men, not because of an irresistible desire, but because I think I'd appreciate the show a lot more if I did.
Lost has a very small inkling of being re-watched. I want to watch Lost in chronological order as some super fan has arranged the show to be watched in that order. I have hardly any desire to re-watch the show as it aired though. I'm not really sure what the point of telling you this was, but I guess that even though I have a bunch of TV shows, these transcendent TV shows have forced me to make time so I could watch something I have already seen. I think it's pretty remarkable to make a viewer want to watch a show where they know what's coming. It's relatively easy to make a viewer curious to watch a show the first time, but to make a viewer watch multiple times is very impressive. (I can't explain it, but Friends is never old for me and probably never will be. I'm guessing nostalgia)
Next post: Quirky comedy section gets highlighted with NINE shows that I am still in the middle of watching.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Introduction to Site
Lately, I have become slightly motivated to write about sports, but then my need to write went away soon after I began writing an article on something sports-related and I found myself disinterested in finishing. I can't seem to put enough focus into finishing a detailed, numbers-driven article. Usually a sports post will take me hours, so I'm assuming that has a lot to do with it.
So here I am giving writing about television a try, which for the past year or so has become an insane habit of mine. My purest intention is to watch good television. So I never go into a TV show blind (I doubt many do). I check IMDB ratings, I check my favorite TV reviewers opinions of shows, I take into account what my friends think of the show, and basically just get a feel if the show is worth my time. (This sounds harsher than I intend, I assure you.)
My opinion is that this is the golden age of television. At least, this is the age where you can pretty much watch a good television series as long as you buy Netflix. There are seriously enough good TV series on Netflix to last you years so long as you don't burn through entire series in a month.
I am mostly going to be writing season reviews, although doing episode reviews of classic television shows such as The Sopranos has intrigued me. So I periodically do episode reviews of that nature. I've also sporadically done episode reviews of personal favorite television shows of mine. I wrote Breaking Bad episode reviews and doing episode reviews for The Americans. I'll pick and choose which shows I do very strictly so this isn't going to be a normal thing.
To be clear, here's an idea of how crazy I am with this obsession of mine. I mentioned sports writing before which I wrote three times a week for a while. That was replaced by needing to watch the greatest movies of all time, which I usually found searching random sites. (Needless to say, I was devastated when megavideo was declared illegal) Then last year, I signed up for a month-long free trial of Netflix for a reason I'm not sure of right now, and you pretty much need Netflix once you've experienced it. (Netflix is not paying me, believe it or not)
Anyway, somewhere along the line I started slowing watching good series, not really trying to watch ALL of the good series. Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Dexter, etc. I had a bit of a slow start on this little quest of mine since my TV experience was limited to every Friends episode (each one I've seen more than once), CSI, Law and Order: SVU (strangely not the original), and... that's about it. I never really committed to a series besides Friends (which I grew up on).
While on my winter break, I realized I was watching so many TV shows at once, that I decided to categorize the TV shows I was watching. I ended up with eight different categorizations, totaling (don't laugh and I swear this is the real number) 76 shows. 76. I've seen every episode of the series for 10 of those 76, so that means I'm either in the process of or haven't started 66 series that I want to see.
I should also mention that six of the 66 shows I literally cannot watch more episodes due to the fact that they have more seasons or they haven't been posted on Netflix. And lastly, seven of the shows are in the last season that I can watch or that aired.
That still leaves a TON of shows. I'm not delusional. This is going to take a few years especially with school. I'm sure summer will bring an uptick in episodes watched. (Also, I expect the shows to gradually decline as the year progresses as the beginning features little homework and the end is finals)
So I guess this is a good place to mention what my eight categories are. First, are the greatest shows on television or the shows that changed television (Link) - according to Alan Sepinwall, my favorite TV critic. Here's the list and whether I've watched, am watching or plan to watch (updated 6/24/14):
Breaking Bad - Status: Seen all five seasons
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Status: Seen all seven seasons
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Status: Seen all seven seasons
Friday Night Lights - Status: Seen all five seasons
Lost - Status: Seen all six seasons
Mad Men - Status: Seen all seven seasons
Mad Men - Status: Seen all seven seasons
The Wire - Status: Seen all five seasons
The Shield - Status: Seen all seven seasons
The Shield - Status: Seen all seven seasons
The Sopranos - Status: Seen all six seasons
24 - Status: Seen first six seasons
Deadwood - Status: Watching first season
Battlestar Galactica - Status: Not started
Oz - Status: Not started
This category is my most exciting and the one I look forward to completing the most. The best part is that I own all seasons to Deadwood and Oz plus 24 is on Amazon Prime, which I recently purchased. I finished The Shield by watching the free seasons that popped up on Hulu every three months. Soon the first two seasons will be there and I recommend you start when given the chance. I'll be finishing 24 over the next year and beginning Deadwood sometime next spring. Oz and Battlestar will be considerably later.
When I first wrote this post in January of last year, I had a different group of categorizations that I became dissatisfied with so I changed my categorizations to better fit how I ended up actually watching these shows. I still have the shows that changed television, which I still only watch one television series at a time meaning I wait until I finish one series before I start another. The exceptions are Mad Men, which is still airing, and 24, which is a show I try to binge-watch and I can safely separate my viewing experiences by seasons. Basically, I make sure I have a week or so of time available to watch the show before I begin a season and that means I'll probably be unable to watch any seasons during the school year.
Another categorization that hasn't changed is Classic Comedy. I've re-arranged some of the shows, but this is the simplest one and mostly is undisturbed. The most recent of the shows stopped airing in 2006. The earliest of the shows began airing in 1960. I'll refer you to my updated Classic Comedy post if you're interested in reading about the 14 shows that fall under that.
The category formerly known as Quirky Comedy is now just Comedy. This has mostly not changed. I switched out Scrubs and Arrested Development and added a few shows. This is another 14 show category. If you're interested in reading about specific shows, read my Comedy post.
Another category that has survived is Procedurals. In fact, I've basically split this into two different categories, Procedurals and USA Shows. USA Shows from what I've seen are procedurals in the loosest sense (a drama that isn't serialized - you can watch any episode in any season and be able to not be affected too strongly; maybe you missed a relationship that developed but nothing important). But I felt uncomfortable listing Burn Notice and Law and Order in the same category as they are not even close to the same show. If you're interested in reading about these two categories, I consolidated them into one post here.
(If you've fallen upon this link now, it means you've seen this earlier than I intended. I had eight original categories, but only three of them were even close to the same as my revised categories. I now have 13 categories. My unconventional drama's name is now changed and is basically unrecognizable from its original group of shows. I scrapped Supernatural as a category as I realized Star Trek would take too long to watch and was detracting from me watching anything else in its category and made Star Trek its own category; Anyway, I should update the rest of the categories soon)
Another categorization that hasn't changed is Classic Comedy. I've re-arranged some of the shows, but this is the simplest one and mostly is undisturbed. The most recent of the shows stopped airing in 2006. The earliest of the shows began airing in 1960. I'll refer you to my updated Classic Comedy post if you're interested in reading about the 14 shows that fall under that.
The category formerly known as Quirky Comedy is now just Comedy. This has mostly not changed. I switched out Scrubs and Arrested Development and added a few shows. This is another 14 show category. If you're interested in reading about specific shows, read my Comedy post.
Another category that has survived is Procedurals. In fact, I've basically split this into two different categories, Procedurals and USA Shows. USA Shows from what I've seen are procedurals in the loosest sense (a drama that isn't serialized - you can watch any episode in any season and be able to not be affected too strongly; maybe you missed a relationship that developed but nothing important). But I felt uncomfortable listing Burn Notice and Law and Order in the same category as they are not even close to the same show. If you're interested in reading about these two categories, I consolidated them into one post here.
(If you've fallen upon this link now, it means you've seen this earlier than I intended. I had eight original categories, but only three of them were even close to the same as my revised categories. I now have 13 categories. My unconventional drama's name is now changed and is basically unrecognizable from its original group of shows. I scrapped Supernatural as a category as I realized Star Trek would take too long to watch and was detracting from me watching anything else in its category and made Star Trek its own category; Anyway, I should update the rest of the categories soon)
Next Post: I'll talk about shows that changed TV
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