Seconded. This is in many ways terrible schlock, but it knows it and has fun with it. Nathan Fillion is great, and I am slowly developing a terrible, soul-crushing obsession with Stana Katic/Kate Beckett. Perfect when you just want something lighthearted and fun. I Bet You is exactly what you'd expect when you give two degenerate gamblers (Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak for the poker fans) a camera crew to capture their antics for posterity. Everything from skydiving challenges, to race cars, to ballet, to the geographical knowledge of phone sex workers. Pure wish fulfillment land.
Shit got pretty serious in the last couple of episodes in the season, for sure. That, and the Mentalist, are two shows I enjoy killing time with, and they both got the Keanu Reeves "woah" reaction when I watched the last episodes. Hell, add Hawaii Five-O to that list too. I might have been drunk, but it seemed to me that all three really brought their A-games for the season enders.
Destination Titan <a class="postlink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0109ccd" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0109ccd</a> BBC Four just released a really cool hour-long documentary about the British scientists that built up the instrumentation pack for the Cassini mission to Titan, one of Saturn's moons. It's pretty damn cool, showing a bunch of university kids who spent 4 years of their lives building instruments that had to then hurtle through space for 7 years and crash into the surface, and relay information back. The BBC even had a film crew following them around while they were working on it years ago, so there's lots of footage.
Oh. My. God. I have found one of the funniest shows ever. Mr. T is back, and he has a show called World's Crazy Fools. It's on in the UK, and if you can find the torrent, I highly recommend it. Sure, it's a show that just replays all the crazy viral videos you've already seen a million times, but trust me when I say that it's ALL about the narration by Mr. T. "Now it's time for PARKING FOOLS." "Enough of this Jibber Jabber" "I like this woman, she doesn't give up. You should never give up. Unless you're her. She should give up." "Our next lesson comes from Poland..." "You should look after your head... that's where the Happy Thoughts are made" I've just spent the last 30 minutes laughing.
I can't believe I forgot to recommend Carnivale. Set in the Dustbowl era, this show follows the life of Ben Hawkins, a boy who joins a travelling circus of misfits. The whole series reminds me of nothing so much as The Stand, despite not being set in a post-apocalyptic world. The characters are incredibly compelling; the heroes are flawed, the villains are complex, and the minor characters are just as fascinating. The sets are beautifully realistic, or perhaps more accurately unpleasantly realistic. This aura of grime, dirt, and grinding poverty is all pervasive, and the show is generally quite dark. Despite the magical elements, this is strictly adult fare. Think Game of Thrones style. I really can't recommend this enough - if you want to spend a few hours lost in a different world, pick this one up.
Underbelly I should have recommended this ages ago, it’s an Aussie made crime drama based closely on actual events. It's gritty and realistic. There are 3 seasons, 1 & 2 are best IMO. <a class="postlink" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1119176/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1119176/</a>
Just to revist this for anyone who hasn't seen yet - There are only 3 episodes in the first season (each 90 minutes) and a 1 hour long unaired pilot. The second season is due to start in August and will again be 3 90 minute episodes - but I really can't wait. This was no question, my favourite new show last year, and after Sons of Anarchy - my favourite discovery.
I haven't watched them yet, and they look hit-or-miss, but BBC America has a whole new comedy block on Saturday nights, with interstitials hosted by my favorite dude, Chris Hardwick. Hardwick also has his own show, based on his Nerdist Blog (which I love) coming out on BBCA at the end of summer. Even if the rest of these shows show balls, I will watch Hardwick's stuff...
Just caught 2 episodes of a BBC reality show called Submarine School. Awesomeness. Highly recommend it. <a class="postlink" href="http://www.channel5.com/shows/submarine-school/episodes/episode-1-336" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.channel5.com/shows/submarine ... sode-1-336</a>
Franklin & Bash. TNT comedy starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer. A genuinely light-hearted and funny show with some real belly laughs. Usually the banter and bullshit seems see through on these cable comedies but this one doesn't. Plus is has Malcolm McDowell in it. He's fantastic. TNT finally has some decent series.
The Shadow Line The Shadow Line is a seven-part British television drama serial produced by Company Pictures/Eight Rooks Ltd/Baby Cow/CinemaNX production for BBC Two. It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Eccleston, Rafe Spall, Antony Sher and Stephen Rea. The Shadow Line is about a murder investigated by both sides of the line – cops and criminals – and the opposing methods they use to solve it. But the real line is the morality within each character and how far they will go before they cross it. Just finished this in two settings and highly recommend it.
No Heroics - Only 6 episodes, was a BBC series that ran in 2008 for one season, won a bunch of awards and then never got renewed. Some discussion of a US adaption. Well, well worth a watch. Story imagines an alternate london where super heroes are real, and follows the lives of four... slightly shit super heroes. Mostly set in a Super Heroes only bar and full of in jokes for comic geeks - despite being alone in my living room and sober while watching it, I laughed outloud several times per episode. Very, very watchable.
USA Network has another good show that I'm a huge fan of now: SUITS Interesting premise, and now that I've watched the second episode, I'm a fan.
Couldn't agree more, and I'm a huge skeptic of people trying to reinvent their careers. These two have done it, and McDowell is icing.
One Man Army I happened to stumble across this show the other day. This show is more a competition series, in which elite military, extreme sports and law enforcement operatives compete against one another in a series of speed, strength and intelligence tasks, the slowest competitor in each challenge is eliminated and the last one standing wins $10,000. In the first show they had a ex-Desert Storm, US Marshall, Weapon Specialist and a Private contractor against one another. Really entertaining seeing how different peoples fitness match up against others.
I just started watching this. I know nothing about law, but it's a cool show that keeps you hooked. Specter is funny as hell with his one liners about puppies and grown ups to Mike, and giving him a hard time is consistently good stuff. It also doesn't hurt that Rachel (Meghan Markle) has a fantastic ass.
I've really been enjoying it. My only caveat is that as a NY/MA lawyer I kind of have to turn that part of my brain off since Suits does worse at being accurate than most lawyer shows I've seen. But, that aside, it's a fun show. Not quite as good as White Collar or Psych, but good.