TV reviews

We still don't watch much TV, but there are a few shows that we (mostly me, since I watch when I treadmill) regularly catch on hulu.com - Here's a brief review of my favorites:

White Collar - This is rapidly becoming my #1 favorite show. It's witty and intelligent, combining humor and mystery with compelling characters. Neil, an ex-con working for the FBI agent that put him away, is simultaneously suave and vulnerable and can really pull off a fedora. The two leads have good chemistry and, in a TV rarity, the FBI agent and his wife have a positive loving relationship. It's a really nice touch. In addition to the humor and mystery, there's plenty of suspense and enough action. It's an all-around great package.Burn Notice - I'm very pleased that something I enjoy so much has become so popular. Along with White Collar and Psych, Burn Notice had a Comic-con panel that I attended. There they announced a spin off Sam Axe movie featuring his last mission. My brother and I have enjoyed Bruce Campbell (Sam) since his Adventures of Brisco County Jr. days*, but the entire cast is fun to watch on screen. Especially this last season, I think they've figured out how to extend the tension of the burn notice situation in a believable way and the introduction of new character Jessie has really fleshed out the world and kept the overarching story arcs engaging. The show excels at action, but what really makes it great for me is the dry, subtle humor and tongue-in-cheek spy tips - they give the show a rich, fun flavor.
Chuck - The thing that impresses me most about Chuck is does character progression really well. While maintaining continuity, it avoids the "we figured out what works, so every show is going to be just like the last one but with a different bad guy" shtick. This may be because the show was nearly canceled the last 2 seasons, so it's kinda a "go big or go home" at the end of every season. This is another "combo" show that features action, suspense, humor, drama, and an apt dose of romance. It's fun in a very nerdy way. Chuck had Comic-con panel, and had a ton of people dressed up in Chuck-related costumes - I didn't see anyone with Burn Notice-themed costumes at their session.
Psych - If I could sum up this show in one word, that word would be "fun." Or "pineapple," 'cause there's one in every episode - and that's the exact kinda zany fun I'm talking about, Willis. While Chuck is definitely nerdy fun, the nerdy aspects of Psych are more regulated to the periphery, but is joined with a helping of dorkiness a heaping serving of 80's references and a splash of pop-culture take-offs. Again, it's apparent that the entire cast, and the writers and directors, are having a throughly fun time with the show and they regularly make their episodes epic - they do crazy takes on classic summer blockbusters. It can approach the silly at times but never goes as over the top, as Chuck can, in straining your suspension of disbelief. And it's always fun.
Lie to me* - Rounding out my top 5 is this sophomore offering from Fox. It's a solid performer. Its humour comes from its Britishness**. It's a "psychological fiction" so that makes it fun for me. The detective sort of angle is fun and they do a pretty good job of having intense events actually traumatize the characters a little bit (i.e. if a character is in a car wreck, or in a hostage situation, they are actually shooken-up a bit, as opposed to the act tough that most procedurals try to demonstrate). While it's a broadcast show, it had enough "mature themes" and more especially the normalization of immorality that Nicole's given it up. For the most part, I enjoy the show and will occasionally use clips from it in my classes.

Honorable Mentions: not in the top 5, so no pictures, but still entertaining.

Eureka - Along with Warehouse 13 this Syfy offering is good clean fun. The science is more than fiction, but the main character, Sheriff Carter, has a charm that's hard to resist. They recently changed up the show though a time travel episode that did NOT restore the status quo in the the end, so mad props for being gutsy, and it seems to have been a positive direction to the show over all. I'll be continue to catch it when I can.

Warehouse 13 - In it's second season, Warehouse 13 has a lot more appeal than it's SyFy cousin Eureka (although they are having a cross-over this season). It features a pair of secret service agents tasked with gathering artifacts and storing them in the warehouse featured at the end of Indian Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. So that's pretty fun. They've added a newer character, Claudia that has really spruced things up and keeps the show fresh and intriguing. Furthermore, they've developed a good continuity now and that's made it really enjoyable to watch. Both of these shows were also at comic-con.

Castle - Actually, Castle was at comic-con too, but on Sunday, so I missed it. Castle is a terribly fun idea (a writer makes a good detective, I wonder who came up with that idea? ;) Anyway, it's kinda a guilty pleasure because as a police procedural it regular features a bit of the gruesome and more than enough adultery and immorality. Still the stars really sell it and I've become a Nathan Fillion fan (he played Captain Hammer in "Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog"). He was also the lead in "Firefly/Serenity" in which Casey from Chuck also starred. I missed that show when it was on, but have really been enjoying it through Netflix (only seen the first 2 episodes so far, but still...). Anyway, Castle's fun and the daughter character continues to shine (she wore a Star Trek: Original Series uniform to the comic-con panel! (I caught it online latter))

Dr. Who - We caught a little of this in Ireland this year and really liked it, but it's not exactly available much stateside :(

Rotten Tomatoes - This is a movie review show. It's kinda fun. It's replaced Jon Steward as the only "news" show that I watch. I'm not really sure what that says about me, but the show does help lower my expectations before I get to the theater.

On Probation, cause they're new:

Covert Affairs - So far so good. I'm really impressed with USA's new shows (except for "In Plain Sight" which was kinda lame). Covert Affairs has been interesting enough so far. Lots of action, but it could do better in the humor department. It has some moments, but it's not quite as fun as the other shows above. We'll give it some more time.

Haven - This is a new SyFy show. It's based on a Steven King thing about an FBI agent in a small town in Maine where weird stuff happens. Despite being relatively into sci-fi/fantasy, I never got into the X-files and I'm having a hard time getting into this show. I've only seen two episodes and may check out a few more, but I don't think this'll be on my list next time around.

The Good Guys - This is from Matt Nix, the guy who created Burn Notice. It's pretty funny and does some good action/adventure stuff, but has yet to be really compelling. I actually forgot to put it on the list at all till the last minute.

Off Probation, but not in a good way:

Royal Pains - I watched the first season and started the second, but my heart wasn't in it. On the one hand, it's nice to have a medical mystery where the lead's not a "House" jerk, but then again, it's become kinda soap-opera-ish and the interpersonal angst isn't enjoyable. There was some inconsistency in the characterization, especially of the devout Hindu that didn't sit well with me, and again, the soap-operatic elements continue to be a turn-off, so so-long Royal Pains.

Final Report Card (hey, I'm a teacher):

Show	Category	Grade
White Collar	Humor	A
	Action	B
	Intrigue	A+
	Clean (Morally)	A-
	Fun	A
	Overall	A
Burn Notice	Humor	A-
	Action	A
	Intrigue	A
	Clean (Morally)	C+
	Fun	A
	Overall	A
Psych	Humor	A
	Action	B+
	Intrigue	B-
	Clean (Morally)	B
	Fun	A+
	Overall	A-
Chuck	Humor	A
	Action	A
	Intrigue	A
	Clean (Morally)	B
	Fun	A
	Overall	A
Lie to Me*	Humor	B+
	Action	B+
	Intrigue	B+
	Clean (Morally)	B-
	Fun	B
	Overall	B+
Warehouse 13	Humor	B+
	Action	B
	Intrigue	A-
	Clean (Morally)	A
	Fun	A-
	Overall	B+
Eureka	Humor	B
	Action	B
	Intrigue	B
	Clean (Morally)	A
	Fun	B+
	Overall	B
Castle	Humor	A-
	Action	B
	Intrigue	B
	Clean (Morally)	C-
	Fun	A
	Overall	B+
Rotten Tomatoes	Humor	A-
	Action	n/a
	Intrigue	n/a
	Clean (Morally)	C-
	Fun	A-
	Overall	B
Haven	Humor	C-
	Action	B-
	Intrigue	B+
	Clean (Morally)	B+
	Fun	C
	Overall	C+
Covert Affairs	Humor	B
	Action	A
	Intrigue	A-
	Clean (Morally)	B+
	Fun	B
	Overall	B+
Royal Pains	Humor	C+
	Action	n/a
	Intrigue	B-
	Clean (Morally)	C
	Fun	C
	Overall	D
Dr. Who	Humor	A
	Action	A-
	Intrigue	B
	Clean (Morally)	A
	Fun	A-
	Overall	A-
Firefly	Humor	B+
	Action	A
	Intrigue	A
	Clean (Morally)	B
	Fun	A
	Overall	A-

*We didn't watch his "Jack of All Trades" when it was on air, but have caught a few of the episodes on hulu recently... It is a silly thing.

**Get it, "humour" British... Nevermind, it's not funny if I have to explain it.

PS Looks like NCIS and NCIS:LA didn't even make the list this year... Uh-oh CBS...