Post by caitlen on Dec 23, 2008 3:04:06 GMT -5
Five Shows To Watch In January
Newsvine
Sun Dec 21, 2008
If there is one thing that I love, it is good television. Not just good writing but great actors with characters that you can absolutely sink your teeth into. They offer you emotional depth, mystery about their past and the "Will they or won't they?" of future episodes. So I give to you the five shows that I absolutely cannot wait to see new episodes of after the New Year: (Spoiler Alert)
Burn Notice
A friend got me hooked on this show early in its second season which led me to watching all the back story on ITunes and the USA Network in conjunction. Michael Westen is an ingenious spy but the best part of the show is Jeffrey Donovan's narration of it as Westen. When we last left Michael, he had received a call from Sam telling him that the guy they'd been spying on had been killed by explosives rigged to the front door of his house just as Michael was opening his door. He flies off the steps to his door in the season finale, his condition unknown. In the previews for the show, Michael, Sam and Fiona, the show's unlikely trio of former spy, former SEAL and former IRA terrorist (as well as Michael's on and off love interest) are shown in black suits prepared to wreak all kinds of havoc. It seemed that Michael was just starting to get a handle on who burned him and why at the end of last season and next season is sure to bring some answers and more mayhem... as well as more of that great sarcastic commentary and salt-of-the-earth spy tips like his love of restrooms because they have flat, hard surfaces allowing him to fight without endangering his fists to injury.
Chuck
I have been a fan of Chuck ever since it made its debut. Chuck has a government database in his head (don't ask) and Sarah has been assigned to play his girlfriend and protect him at all costs. The characters of Chuck and Sarah and the interaction between the two as she protects him, he openly loves her and she secretly loves him back are absolutely the type of sexual tension that keeps viewers coming back for more. The last two episodes of the season left Chuck consoling Sarah about her father's abysmal parenting skills and becoming the only male figure in her life that loves her for her and not for what she can do for him. Her father, the epic conman and excellent reader of people, even tells Sarah the reason he put all the money in Chuck's account was because he knew that Chuck wouldn't run out on her and keep the money for himself. In the final episode, a Fulcrum agent finds out that Chuck is the intersect and Sarah cannot take him into custody if she wants Chuck to be able to remain safe so, instead of arresting him, Sarah shoots him while Chuck is watching, unbeknown to her, while wearing the charm bracelet that Chuck gave to her as a sign of his love which was a Bartowski family heirloom. Paralleling Chuck seeing something out of context that he doesn't understand, Morgan sees his girlfriend kissing Leonard and leaves before she rejects the kiss. The episode ends with Chuck and Morgan commiserating about how to forget something awful their girlfriends did that is seared into their minds. Chuck is primed for an excellent second half.
Life
Charlie Crews is no ordinary Los Angeles Police Department detective. He spent years in prison for murders he did not commit and after his lawyer proved he was innocent she also secured a $50 million "I'm sorry" gift from the government for false imprisonment. Even though he no longer has to work, Charlie went back to the LAPD and works cases with his partner Dani Reese, who is the daughter of one of the men involved in framing him: Jack Reese. Oh, and did I mention Charlie's money is managed by a close friend he met in prison named Ted Early who is in love with the woman engaged to Charlie's father? The season took a break with Charlie getting closer and closer to the men that framed him, including an FBI agent that works for a Russian gangster that is a protected informant. Charlie was also getting information from one of six police officers that have something to do with his framing who has contracted a terminal illness and, along with that, a willingness to share information with Charlie. Proving that Charlie was getting closer is that Ted was framed for gun and drug possession which is a violation of his parole and sent him back to prison. Charlie assigns a 3-time murderer to look after Ted and get Ted whatever he wants. As the season took a break, Reese was told to ask Charlie about why he would want to kill her father and shortly after she arrives to do that, Charlie answers the door and is shot in the chest. Charlie's life is now hanging in the balance until the show resumes. Should be good...
NCIS
Now in its 6th season, NCIS is still going strong even after losing Sasha Alexander as Kate who was replaced by Ziva David of Mossad. Even more shocking, Lauren Holly was terminally ill but killed trying to protect Leroy Jethro Gibbs from a mistake she'd made on a mission nine years ago a season or so ago. What makes NCIS compelling is the easy camaraderie amongst the cast along with Michael Weatherly's strong performance as Gibbs' right hand agent Tony DiNozzo and Mark Harmon's excellent portrayal of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a former Marine sniper whose eyesight is shot and whose wife and daughter were killed while he was deployed in the first Iraq war. This sixth season has been eye-opening because several secrets to Gibbs were revealed including how he came up with his rule system (it had been suggested that he got it from the Marines but we find out that, in reality, he got it from his late wife Shannon who worked on having a rule for everything), where he came from (Stillwater, PA, a mining town) and how he got the name Leroy Jethro (he was named after the African-American man that Gibbs' father left the mines to open his store in partnership with). Ziva's character is very sexy and mysterious and they have been delving into her "relationship" side as well. Look for a very informative and action-packed second half.
Law And Order: Criminal Intent
After Chris Noth's departure from the show, Jeff Goldblum is slated to replace him as Detective Megan Wheeler's partner. I'm very interested in how the offbeat Goldblum will play as a Major Case Squad detective. Even if that doesn't go over well, there is always Detectives Robert Goren and Alex Eames to fall back on for reliable cop drama and sufficient crime solving skills. Goren is, perhaps, the best written detective character that I have encountered on television. He is not portrayed as invincible or perfect (his mother had schizophrenia, there are questions about his mental status and Eames is the only detective who will partner with him willingly and even that was an acquired taste), but his character is also written so that from his weaknesses and fallibilities also spring his strengths. While his mind doesn't operate like everyone else's, to steal the movie title Goren has a "beautiful mind." As idiosyncratic as it operate, it allows him to notice small details and patterns and develop gut feelings about cases that lead to major breakthroughs in solving them. Goren is a character that I never tire of and Eames' dialog and behavior as his partner I never tire of either like the episode where she tells a suspect's wife "Your husband is like my partner. They're both really good at one thing and stuck on it. My partner just wants to be left alone to catch bad guys and your husband wants to steal diamonds, it's all they think about." For my two cents, Law And Order: Criminal Intent is leagues better than the original Law & Order still airing on NBC (CI is on USA).
Catch these shows when they pick up where they left off in January: you won't be sorry, I promise.
isaacs.newsvine.com/_news/2008/12/21/2235662-five-shows-to-watch-in-january
Newsvine
Sun Dec 21, 2008
If there is one thing that I love, it is good television. Not just good writing but great actors with characters that you can absolutely sink your teeth into. They offer you emotional depth, mystery about their past and the "Will they or won't they?" of future episodes. So I give to you the five shows that I absolutely cannot wait to see new episodes of after the New Year: (Spoiler Alert)
Burn Notice
A friend got me hooked on this show early in its second season which led me to watching all the back story on ITunes and the USA Network in conjunction. Michael Westen is an ingenious spy but the best part of the show is Jeffrey Donovan's narration of it as Westen. When we last left Michael, he had received a call from Sam telling him that the guy they'd been spying on had been killed by explosives rigged to the front door of his house just as Michael was opening his door. He flies off the steps to his door in the season finale, his condition unknown. In the previews for the show, Michael, Sam and Fiona, the show's unlikely trio of former spy, former SEAL and former IRA terrorist (as well as Michael's on and off love interest) are shown in black suits prepared to wreak all kinds of havoc. It seemed that Michael was just starting to get a handle on who burned him and why at the end of last season and next season is sure to bring some answers and more mayhem... as well as more of that great sarcastic commentary and salt-of-the-earth spy tips like his love of restrooms because they have flat, hard surfaces allowing him to fight without endangering his fists to injury.
Chuck
I have been a fan of Chuck ever since it made its debut. Chuck has a government database in his head (don't ask) and Sarah has been assigned to play his girlfriend and protect him at all costs. The characters of Chuck and Sarah and the interaction between the two as she protects him, he openly loves her and she secretly loves him back are absolutely the type of sexual tension that keeps viewers coming back for more. The last two episodes of the season left Chuck consoling Sarah about her father's abysmal parenting skills and becoming the only male figure in her life that loves her for her and not for what she can do for him. Her father, the epic conman and excellent reader of people, even tells Sarah the reason he put all the money in Chuck's account was because he knew that Chuck wouldn't run out on her and keep the money for himself. In the final episode, a Fulcrum agent finds out that Chuck is the intersect and Sarah cannot take him into custody if she wants Chuck to be able to remain safe so, instead of arresting him, Sarah shoots him while Chuck is watching, unbeknown to her, while wearing the charm bracelet that Chuck gave to her as a sign of his love which was a Bartowski family heirloom. Paralleling Chuck seeing something out of context that he doesn't understand, Morgan sees his girlfriend kissing Leonard and leaves before she rejects the kiss. The episode ends with Chuck and Morgan commiserating about how to forget something awful their girlfriends did that is seared into their minds. Chuck is primed for an excellent second half.
Life
Charlie Crews is no ordinary Los Angeles Police Department detective. He spent years in prison for murders he did not commit and after his lawyer proved he was innocent she also secured a $50 million "I'm sorry" gift from the government for false imprisonment. Even though he no longer has to work, Charlie went back to the LAPD and works cases with his partner Dani Reese, who is the daughter of one of the men involved in framing him: Jack Reese. Oh, and did I mention Charlie's money is managed by a close friend he met in prison named Ted Early who is in love with the woman engaged to Charlie's father? The season took a break with Charlie getting closer and closer to the men that framed him, including an FBI agent that works for a Russian gangster that is a protected informant. Charlie was also getting information from one of six police officers that have something to do with his framing who has contracted a terminal illness and, along with that, a willingness to share information with Charlie. Proving that Charlie was getting closer is that Ted was framed for gun and drug possession which is a violation of his parole and sent him back to prison. Charlie assigns a 3-time murderer to look after Ted and get Ted whatever he wants. As the season took a break, Reese was told to ask Charlie about why he would want to kill her father and shortly after she arrives to do that, Charlie answers the door and is shot in the chest. Charlie's life is now hanging in the balance until the show resumes. Should be good...
NCIS
Now in its 6th season, NCIS is still going strong even after losing Sasha Alexander as Kate who was replaced by Ziva David of Mossad. Even more shocking, Lauren Holly was terminally ill but killed trying to protect Leroy Jethro Gibbs from a mistake she'd made on a mission nine years ago a season or so ago. What makes NCIS compelling is the easy camaraderie amongst the cast along with Michael Weatherly's strong performance as Gibbs' right hand agent Tony DiNozzo and Mark Harmon's excellent portrayal of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a former Marine sniper whose eyesight is shot and whose wife and daughter were killed while he was deployed in the first Iraq war. This sixth season has been eye-opening because several secrets to Gibbs were revealed including how he came up with his rule system (it had been suggested that he got it from the Marines but we find out that, in reality, he got it from his late wife Shannon who worked on having a rule for everything), where he came from (Stillwater, PA, a mining town) and how he got the name Leroy Jethro (he was named after the African-American man that Gibbs' father left the mines to open his store in partnership with). Ziva's character is very sexy and mysterious and they have been delving into her "relationship" side as well. Look for a very informative and action-packed second half.
Law And Order: Criminal Intent
After Chris Noth's departure from the show, Jeff Goldblum is slated to replace him as Detective Megan Wheeler's partner. I'm very interested in how the offbeat Goldblum will play as a Major Case Squad detective. Even if that doesn't go over well, there is always Detectives Robert Goren and Alex Eames to fall back on for reliable cop drama and sufficient crime solving skills. Goren is, perhaps, the best written detective character that I have encountered on television. He is not portrayed as invincible or perfect (his mother had schizophrenia, there are questions about his mental status and Eames is the only detective who will partner with him willingly and even that was an acquired taste), but his character is also written so that from his weaknesses and fallibilities also spring his strengths. While his mind doesn't operate like everyone else's, to steal the movie title Goren has a "beautiful mind." As idiosyncratic as it operate, it allows him to notice small details and patterns and develop gut feelings about cases that lead to major breakthroughs in solving them. Goren is a character that I never tire of and Eames' dialog and behavior as his partner I never tire of either like the episode where she tells a suspect's wife "Your husband is like my partner. They're both really good at one thing and stuck on it. My partner just wants to be left alone to catch bad guys and your husband wants to steal diamonds, it's all they think about." For my two cents, Law And Order: Criminal Intent is leagues better than the original Law & Order still airing on NBC (CI is on USA).
Catch these shows when they pick up where they left off in January: you won't be sorry, I promise.
isaacs.newsvine.com/_news/2008/12/21/2235662-five-shows-to-watch-in-january